Darth Revan: The Prodigal Knight
by RevanSentinel
Summary: The adventures of Revan during the year after the climatic battle of the Star Forge System. Following canon set by Star Wars: The Old Republic, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II- The Sith Lords.
1. Chapter 1: Reflection on Lehon

I do not own any of this

All characters, vessels, etc. belong to LucasArts and Bioware.

Hope you enjoy the story.

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Part I: Memories Unbound

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Reflection on Lehon

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**One week after the Battle of the Rakata System…**

Revan sighed as he inserted the last crystal into his lightsaber. Behind him, Bastila shifted in her sleep. The faint smell of perfume still hung around her wavy hair. They had been at a celebration party commemorating the brave souls lost in the Battle of the Rakata System. The entire crew had spent the night partying and the _Ebon Hawk_ was now on a course to the Lehon system for a nice and relaxing holiday.

Yuthura said that the dark side left a taint, yet Revan did not believe that was the case for him. Over the past few weeks, his dreams were plagued by hazy memories.

_The faces of those who he had killed during his time as Dark Lord. They jeered at him, challenging him to face them. Jedi who he had led to doom wailed for him to save them. The faces of the Mandalorians he killed roared at him and called for blood._

_Now, a hazy fog obscured those. Walking through it, Revan came upon a clearing in the fog. In it, a Jedi Knight was battling a hooded Sith Lord. She looked young and wielded a blue blade. Then, the Sith Lord struck her down. Turning to Revan, his voice was magnified tenfold, "You are our Master. Lead us to victory."_

_Lightsabers flashed, several of them the Jedi colors of emerald and turquoise, but they were overpowered by the engulfing blood red blades. A sea of glowing red rods, illuminating a burning Temple, its occupants slaughtered. And the last Jedi Knight, with a shocked expression on his face, fell backward, a smoking hole in his chest from the Sith Lord who had led the invasion. There were bodies. Jedi. All dead…_

"NO!" he roared, sitting upright. Beside him, Bastila jumped from the bed in fright, impulsively activating her lightsaber. Seeing the former Dark Lord panting, she smiled and deactivated her weapon.

"Another nightmare?" she asked quietly, giving him a quick kiss. Revan nodded.

"More and more of my memories are coming back. I don't know what I did as a Sith, but it seems to be haunting me. All those I killed are haunting me. The _future_ is haunting me."

Bastila gave a small chuckle. "The _future_? I can believe your memories are bothering you, but the future could be a sign of mental instability." She ducked as Revan tossed his pillow at her. Laughing, she shook her head with annoyance mixed with mirth. Revan had accidently unleashed a Force Wave when he had woken up, knocking over furniture and leaving the room a mess.

Over the ship's intercom, Mission's clear voice chirped out a message. "It's 0700 hours! Time to get up!...I SAID GET UP ALREADY! We're entering the Lehon System. Keeper Orsaa has sent us coordinates. Now, I want this ship to be shipshape when we land. HK, _please_ clean yourself up. I-HEY! ZAALBAR! Get away from there! #&*%$*&#*%#! Put me down you furball!"

"Go back to bed Mission!" Canderous roared from his cot in the garage. He had taken to sleeping in the hangar, saying he preferred the solitude, though Revan suspected his just wanted to have weapons close at hand in case of an attack.

"Some of us are trying to sleep!" Juhani roared from the crew quarters, her thick Cathar accent revealing her ire.

"Geez! Some people have no sense of-YOW! Teethree, when I get my hands on you…"

"Some of us are trying to sleep" Revan said calmly into the intercom "Still, it is time to get up. We should have a few days of relaxation before we meet with the Elders. However, Mission is right. The ship does need some work. Teethree, I want you and HK to patch up any scorchmarks on the hull. Carth and Canderous, could you guys polish your best armor? Mission can prepare the ceremonial robes, _and clean them by hand since you seem to have so much energy_. The rest of you, load up with supplies."

The sun was peeking from behind the calm blue see on Lehon. Birds flew off is a scuffle as the _Dynamic_-class freighter landed on the beach. Waves lapped against the back landing legs of the _Ebon Hawk_.

"Hey, you actually landed without anyone getting a concussion this time Carth, nice job -HEY!"

"Shut up Mission."

The landing ramp of the _Ebon Hawk_ lowered. Revan stepped out into the bright sunlight. Shielding his eyes until they adjusted to the glare from the sun, he took in the beautiful landscape.

"Trask would have loved to have seen this" he murmured "So would have Kebla. So would have Janine, Marn, Gadon Thek, and everyone else." He was filled with guilt and remorse, ashamed that all those who had helped him out of simple compassion had paid the price dearly. None had ever been recognized and that made him sad.

As the others descended from the ship, Revan walked off. "Let him be" Bastila motioned to them "He has a lot on his mind."

They set to work repairing the _Ebon Hawk_. Mission took great fun in sending Canderous another blaster to polish once he thought he was done. HK found himself magnetized to the hull, courtesy of Teethree, who Bastila would have sworn had giggled.

Carth and Zaalbar had taken out the Dejarik board and were playing on the beach. Juhani was meditating, and Jolee had gone off into the jungle to gather medical supplies as well as food.

As the sun set, Bastila found Revan sitting on the beachhead where the Rakata of the One used to live. There, Revan had carved out a large stone block out of the cliff face and used the Force to etch the images and names of the companions he had lost. Above all these, he had carved a small statue of a man in a Republic soldier's uniform, standing with his blaster at the ready.

"Trask, I know we only knew each other for a short time" Revan breathed "But I want you to know, I will always remember you. The Republic will always remember you. The Jedi will always remember you. The galaxy will always remember you."

Walking up to Revan, Bastila put her arms around her lover's shoulders. "Had Trask been here to see this, he would have been very proud." Bastila murmured as she kissed Revan's head. "I picked him as your bunkmate because he was the first person you met on the _Endar Spire_ after you were reprogrammed. But you were right. I will make sure that his name lives on in history forever." Together, they walked back to the landing site, where a festival had already begun.

A figure, almost invisible in the fading light, smiled at Revan as he walked away. _Too bad I couldn't come with you on your journeys,_ Trask whispered_ I know now that it was my destiny to sacrifice myself so you could save the galaxy. But Revan, thanks to you, I am finally at peace…_ With that, he slowly faded away.

As he walked back with Bastila, Revan smiled. _So am I old friend, so am I…_

On the other hand, "peace", as in sleep, did not come easily for Revan. He laid shirt-less under the warm blanket he and Bastila were sharing, staring at the stars above. Revan was not in any hurry to sleep though. His fragmented memories pieced themselves together faster when he did, and his nights were filled with dark nightmares and the horrible grinning skulls of those he had killed.

The fire had died down to glowing embers, and Mission and Zaalbar lay snoring beside it. Careful not to wake Bastila, Revan stood up and walked to the glowing embers. Sitting on a foldable chair, he began poking the embers with a metal pole. The sound of snapping twigs at the forest edge immediately sent his senses on high alert. Tip-toeing to a table, he retrieved his tunic shirt and utility belt. Unclipping one of the lightsabers hooked onto the belt, he cautiously walked to the source of the sound.

Upon nearing the forest edge, he noticed the faint glow of a glowlamb and the familiar presence of Jolee Bindo in the Force. The old Padawan was sitting in a clearing not too far from the edge of the forest, his rumbled Padawan robes covered in mud, leaves, and twigs. He stared up at the sky, as if searching for something.

"Got something on your mind?" Jolee asked, not even turning his head. Revan walked into the clearing and sat beside Jolee. Jolee resumed his silent vigil, this time with Revan.

"You fought against Exar Kun" Revan said after a while "Ulic Qel-Droma fell to the dark side after infiltrating the Krath, yet he was redeemed." He paused for a moment "The galaxy never really forgave him though."

Jolee was silent for a moment. Picking up two blades of grass, he began threading them together. "The wars against Freedon Nadd, the Krath, Ulic, and Exar Kun were a dark time. Nobody trusted anyone entirely. Ulic wasn't evil. He didn't start out evil, but he just was seduced by the dark side like so many others." He added several more blade of grass to his weaving.

"I was evil, yet I didn't start out that way." Revan murmured, remembering a time long, long, ago. He remember a young Padawan and his master, Arren Kae, Kreia, and so many others. "I wasn't like Ulic, seduced by the greater Sith. I _instigated_ the civil war, causing the deaths of millions."

"Remember I told you about my friend, Nomi Sunrider?" Jolee continued. Revan nodded. "Her daughter Vima was one of the Masters to train the Jedi Exile during the Mandalorian Wars." He remembered. Jolee nodded, not in agreement, but as a nod to his friend's legacy. "Nomi fell in love with Ulic during the Great Sith Wars. She formed a bond with him. Despite all her love for him, the minute he killed Cay, she all but lost her love for him. It was like she loved him like a dead lover. She cut Ulic off from the Force permanently without hesitation, and she paid for her actions dearly." He turned his head towards Revan. "Not once in my friendship with Nomi did she stop grieving over Ulic. Even though he redeemed himself, she still felt unimaginable guilt. His death on Rhen Var did little to aid that guilt."

"Nomi was a changed woman after the wars" he continued, threading several more blades of grass into his creation. A green trident-like form was taking shape. "The loss of Andur, Ulic, and all the other Jedi affected her deeply. Even as Grand Master did she still spend hours on end staring into empty space, mourning Andur and Ulic."

"Don't think that I didn't see a pattern in your questions" Jolee noted "You're troubled by something. You shouldn't be. The Dark Lord of the Sith is vanquished and only Milo Antelos remains."

Revan stood up. Pacing back and forth, words began rolling unchecked from his mouth. "Ulic had a bond with Nomi. I have a bond with Bastila. He was seduced by the dark side of the Force, so was I. Nomi had to heave all of her love for Ulic aside and do the worst thing that could ever happen to him. Would Bastila have the courage to do that?"

"That's not what's bothering you." Jolee said. Revan gritted his teeth.

"Fine" he said finally "My memories are coming back. Every night, I see the faces of those I killed in my dreams. It's like a punishment for all I have done to the galaxy. And now, I keep on dreaming of an even greater threat. It's driving me mad!"

Jolee smiled. Standing up, he pressed his finished creation into Revan's hand and said kindly, "You're the Prodigal Knight. Constant paranoia is what makes you unique, as well as having the tendency to drive old men crazy sometimes." With that, the two friends walked back to camp.

Bastila awoke to the feeling of the blanket shifting over her. She sensed Revan getting under the thick quilt. _What was he doing up at this hour?_ she thought drowsily. But her eyes closed again and she drifted off into the dark oblivion of sleep.

She was awakened a few hours later by alarming noises coming from her lover. Calling a sheet over to her with the Force, she wrapped her naked body in it and stood up. Revan was thrashing around in his sleep, making odd grunting noises. What was terrifying was that although he was in a deep sleep, his eyes were wide open and a shade of yellow. Suddenly, he began screeching at the top of his lungs.

A loud roar signaled the giant Wookie's awakening. While Mission leaped up, Zaalbar had already lifted Revan like a small toy in his strong arms and was carrying him toward the _Ebon Hawk_.

HK-47 and T3-M4 sped down the ramp, Teethree screeching his own scream in panic and fear for his master. [Statement: My audio receptors had picked up human noises identified as sounds of distress. Shocked Statement: It is my master! Oh, what have the meatbags done to you?]

Zaalbar groaned in helplessness as he carried Revan up the boarding ramp and into the ship. Jolee was waiting in the medical bay, preparing a hypo needle at the lab station. Zaalbar set Revan down on the bed. As he and Mission restrained Revan, Jolee injected his arm with the hypo. Revan stopped screaming, much to everyone's relief, shuddered, and drifted into unconsciousness.

Breathing heavily, Jolee turned to Bastila, who was standing in the door. "Miss Shan, I would put on some clothes if I were you" he suggested, nodding at the sheet wrapper around her.

"Of course" Bastila murmured, staring at Revan before turning around and disappearing behind a corner. Her mind raced. Revan had complained of bad dreams but they had always stayed in his mind, and dreams certainly did not turn one's eyes yellow, the color of a Sith.

Carth stood in the Ebon Hawk's communications room. Activating the console, he sighed. Turning to the small droid behind him, he said, "Ready when you are." T3 gave a blirp in response and activated his holo-transmitter. The 3-D image flickered, and then formed into the form of Admiral Dodonna. "Carth, I was just about to comm you." Dodonna said, her face a mask of grave concern.

"We were about to do the same thing Admiral." Carth replied.

"The Jedi Council here on Coruscant have told me they are receiving…how do I put this…_tremors_, in the Force. I assume that the Prodigal Knight has been experiencing something as well?" A nod from Carth was all she needed to know. Admiral Dodonna knew when not to intrude upon something that was no business of hers. Carth immediately began explaining the last few days' events.

"We're leaving." Carth said bluntly to the assembled crew.

"What?" Mission exclaimed "I was going to get a nice tan, maybe make some friends with the locals, check out those cool blades they-HEY!" Zaalbar cuffed her over the head.

"_There is a time and a place_" he said "_Carth is serious. This has something to do with my life-debt master._"

"The Jedi on Coruscant are experiencing things. Revan's not the only one. Our orders are to return to Coruscant as soon as possible, no exceptions." Carth sighed. The crew grumbled and headed back to their duties.

Walking into the cockpit, Carth found Revan strapped into one of the two seats behind the pilot's chair, still shaken from the previous night's events. Bastila was already seated in the co-pilot's chair and Jolee was seated in the navigator's chair. "I've plotted a course to Coruscant" Bastila informed Carth as he sat down "We should be there in an hour or so."

The freighter _Ebon Hawk_ emitted a loud hum as it lifted off Rakata Prime and disappeared into the void of hyperspace. As the ion trail began to drift apart, a black battle cruiser, almost invisible against the stars, jumped into hyperspace, beginning a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

"We've got something strange here!" Mission said frantically from the seat next to Revan. She was observing their trajectory when she began noticing something odd. "Take us out of hyperspace!" Carth ordered.

The _Ebon Hawk_ slowed to realspace in the Outer Rim, still traveling towards Coruscant, but with sublight engines. "We're in the Auril Sector." Bastila commented as the crew unbuckled. The cockpit crew gathered around Mission. "I've been monitoring our energy field as we travel through hyperspace. I noticed something odd, which the scanners identified as nothing. Our energy field is releasing energy that's traveling outword almost infinitively, unless it hits something, like a planet's magnetic field, where it disappears after bouncing off the upper atmosphere. While we were in hyperspace, I noticed that the energy output was being disrupted at a specific point."

"The scanners aren't picking up anything." Jolee noted.

"Could be an asteroid…" Carth suggested.

"…or a ship." Revan murmured, staring out the cockpit window. There, illuminated against the bright glow of the thousands of Expansion Region suns, was a jet-black battle frigate. Revan could make out a bridge tower and several long-range heavy turbolaser batteries. Resembling a U laid flat with a command bridge jutting out of the middle and the sides shaped like one long pincer, it looked for all the world like some creature of the night.

"Battle stations!" Carth roared, sending the ship spinning as laser blasts began exploding all around the ship. Several loud roars from the main hold indicated Zaalbar thrown off his feet. Revan winced. Soon, there would be a very loud crash of Wookie hitting durasteel…

Juhani gritted her teeth as a pipe burst near her head, releasing a burst of steam and an ear-splitting whistle. Using his magnetic treds, T3-M4 whistled as he patched the pipe. Suddenly the ship was rocked by a loud explosion that had detonated close to their hull. Teethree screeched as he was pulled from the floor and sent tumbling like a rubber ball all over the ship.

[Amused Statement: Master, several squadrons of Sith fighters had launched from the battle frigate. Shall I and the poor excuse for a Mandalorian deal with them?]

"I BEG YOUR PARDON!" Revan winced as Canderous' outraged statement sent his headset into sound overload as feedback began emitting from the ear piece.

Bastila waited for the sound to stop, and then began relaying a distress signal. "Republic Outpost R-6 Epsilon-9456. This is Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan aboard the _Dynamic_-class light freighter _Ebon Hawk_ on an important mission to Coruscant. We are under attack by possible Sith battle fleet. We are outnumbered and outgunned. Request immediate assistance. Republic Outpost R-6 Epsilon…"

Canderous winced as a Sith fighter exploded close to the turret he was manning and sent feedback into his headset. Wincing, he managed to score two direct hits on a Sith fighter's fuselage while clipping the port wing off another. Resembling misshapen birds-of-prey, the Sith fighters continued to swarm the Ebon Hawk. Had the _Ebon Hawk_ not had its stolen improved hull armor and military-grade deflector shield generators, the ship would have been blown to pieces long ago.

Canderous had fought in hopeless battles before. He had fought at Malachor V and the First Battle of Althir. However, he had defeated the Althiri forces with a fleet a tenth of their size, but _at least_ he had some capitals ships, not the turbolaser turret of a light freighter.

Revan let the Force guide him as he fired the two duel turbolaser emplacements on the port and starboard wingtips. "We're being pummeled on all sides!" Carth roared.

"What's that?" Mission asked anxiously, pointing to a flashing light on the console.

Gritting his teeth, Carth executed a full U-turn, sending everyone flying. "Our shields are failing. Too much energy input." He roared. Suddenly, the shaking stopped.

[Bleep boop whirl dooooo] T3-M4 reported to Revan over their private comlink.

"So the Sith fighters have returned to the frigate" Revan mused. Carth turned to him. "I don't like this. The only reason that those fighters would retreat would either be because they're preparing for a bombardment of the area with their turbolasers, or…" The ship shook for a second "…oh sithspit."

"They've caught us in a tractor beam!" Mission said in alarm. Carth cursed and activated the ship wide intercom. "All hands, prepare for boarding, I repeat, prepare for boarding."


	2. Chapter 2: Fight of their lives

"Carth…" Bastila said from her seat. On the display screen, twenty blips appeared on the battle map, announcing the arrival of more ships. "Great, more enemies to fight…" Carth began, but the communications array began signaling a message.

"_Ebon Hawk_, this is the _Hammerhead_-class battle cruiser _Venture_, command ship of the Havoc Fleet of the Galactic Republic. We have received your distress call and are willing to offer any assistance that we can" said the familiar voice of Admiral Jan Dodonna. A cheer went up in the cockpit.

The Sith battle frigate _Insuperable_ had not gambled on half of the Republic navy coming to the rescue of the _Ebon Hawk_. The bridge crew exchanged sympathetic glances as the captain marched up the middle catwalk that sat between the two pit areas to the black metal throne sitting by the viewscreen. "Uhh…._gulp_, Lord Necros?" the captain asked nervously, fingering his collar.

The throne turned torturously slow as the figure in it faced the captain. "_What is it captain_?" he breathed. His body was cast in shadow, and only his pale yellow glowing eyes could be seen.

"A Republic battlefleet has just arrived out of hyperspace. They outnumber us twenty to-ACK!" The pit crews solemnly watched as their captain was choked before their very eyes.

"I do not award failure captain!" Necros roared "Give me one reason why I should spare your worthless life!"

"Another…ch-chan….chance!" Necros gasped, feeling the black oblivion of death begin to come over him. Suddenly, the restriction around his throat disappeared, and air rushed into his grateful lungs.

"Captain, we have incoming fire from the Republic ships-"

The bridge crew was blasted off their feet as the vessel was rocked by explosions. Consoles and terminals exploded in brilliant explosions. "They've ruptured our fuel tanks!" one badly burned lieutenant managed to gasp "Toxic fumes are contaminating our ventilation systems!"

"All hands, abandon ship!" the captain roared. Suddenly, green fumes began emitting from the vents. The crew quickly put on breath masks to avoid being poisoned by the deadly fumes.

"We've hit their fuel lines." Admiral Dodonna told the assembled crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ in the main hold. "Toxic fumes have been reported to have breached their air supply. The entire crew is probably dead. I'm sending transports and shuttles to secure that frigate."

"Acknowledged Admiral, Onasi out!" Carth saluted. Then he turned to the crew "I don't know about you guys, but this victory has TRAP written all over it."

"Why didn't you tell the admiral?" Juhani asked.

"If my worries are correct, the Sith would be listening to the transmission. I think we should help with securing that ship. What do you say Revan?"

Revan didn't respond. He was staring hard at the battle frigate. _I know that make_, he thought. _But where have I seen it?_

Republic shuttles docked with airlocks all over the ship, releasing teams of specially trained commandos and technicians. Once the hangars were opened, shuttles began landing there as well. Several of the cruisers docked with the frigate, sending teams of Jedi over to assist. The _Ebon Hawk_ glided into one of the hangar bays. As it landed, Carth suddenly swerved the ship.

"Thought I saw something move…" he murmured, glancing at where he had just seen the air ripple.

Sparks moved quietly along with the other five commandos of Epsilon-Seven. They had discovered the bodies of several engineers in the massive stack of catwalks and platforms cradling a humming sphere that made up the reactor chamber. All had seemed to have died from inhaling the fumes.

"Something's wrong…" said Gears, his second-in-command. All commandos used codenames so that they wouldn't reveal the names of their fellow team members if under torture. It also helped protect identity.

"What?" whispered Shadow, the team's techy and demolitions expert. "A ship full of toxic fumes and dead bodies. Seems normal to me."

"Exactly!" Gears exclaimed "For a ship this size, there should be a bigger body count."

"Quit chatting you two!" Sparks grunted as they reached a junction. "Ok, Lightning and Red Eye, you two take the left corridor. Report once you find something. Longshot, you stay here and set up a security station in the security room we just passed. Gears and I will head down the right corridor. Shadow, you will go ahead and provide information for us. Use our stealth field generator. I don't want to admit it, but I have to agree with Gears. Something's amiss."

As the team separated, Longshot began unpacking the heavy equipment he carried on his back. His legs were reinforced with shock-absorbing leg braces that took most of the weight. Clearing the single table of papers and datapads, he began setting up a survelliance station. Putting a small fusion generator in the middle, he attached several monitors to it and hooked up two datapads. Grunting, he ripped open the panel for the power box. Hooking up the fusion generator to some wires, he was now able to tap into the ship's security cameras. "The others get to go play manhunt and I get stuck as the pack animal…" he murmured to himself.

Lightning emerged out of a portion of the corridor where the lights had failed. Hearing a grunt, he realized that Red Eye was not next to him. "Come on, Red Eye!" Lightning said "Don't let your fear of the dark get to you!" He nodded in satisfaction as the grey red-striped helmet of Red Eye appeared out of the darkness. Lightning frowned. Something was wrong. Red Eye was walking funny, as if he was being shoved along. Suddenly, he began making gurgling noises. Just as Lightning moved forward to help, Red Eye collapsed, a bloody hole in his spine where the lightsaber had caught him by surprise. Lightning heard something behind him. A strange choking sound came from his throat as his head toppled off his shoulders. His death rattle carried on for a few minutes, then silence fell. The assassins watched in silent, then shimmered back into nonexistence.

Sparks and Gears made their way down the deserted corridor. "There's some bodies up ahead" Shadow warned over the comlink "Watch your step…" His voiced trailed off. "Shadow?" Sparks asked hesitantly. The reply came back garbled. "Thought…saw…some….Goin…check it…What the!" The transmission was cut off. Sparks and Gears raced down the corridor. Then they head Shadow's bloodcurdling scream.

"Command, we have contact with target! I repeat, we have contact with target!" Revan looked up from the console he was searching. One of the technicians opened a channel. "Affirmative. Epsilon-Seven, do not engage hostiles, I repeat, do not engage hostiles!" The technician ordered.

"Shadow is confirmed as down. Not sure about Lightning and Red Eye. We…drat…transmis….god…just saw something…Base come in-" The transmission was cut off.

Revan leaped over a table and landed next to the technician. "What deck are those men on?" he ordered.

"Deck 7, Section 4. Our last report places them near turbolift 312-Alpha." The technician reported. Not hearing a response, he turned his head in time to see Revan dashing out of the command outpost, along with Juhani and Bastila Shan. "Command, we have contact with target!" the technician said, opening a channel to the _Venture_ "I repeat, Epsilon-Seven has made contact with hostiles. A Jedi team is already heading to investigate. Contact with Epsilon-Seven has been lost but they are believed to be Grid 7412. I repeat, Grid 7412."

"Acknowledged" Dodona replied "I'm sending our Jedi reinforcements in with the soldiers."

"This is Lieutenant Francis Delrenn, "Longshot", of the Epsilon-Seven commando team" came a frantic voice over the radio "The others…god…oh god, stay back! Stay back…dear lord…HELP M-"

Revan handled his lightsaber nervously as the lift made its ascent to Deck 7. "I sense someone. Be on your guard." Juhani warned them. The three of them activated their lightsabers, Bastila's double-bladed yellow, Juhani's blue, and Revan's cyan and bronze.

As the turbolift doors opened, Juhani leaped out, bringing her blade around in a wide arc. Revan heard the death rattles of men as bodies materialized out of thin air. "They have stealth field generators!" Revan warned. He scrunched up his face as he concentrated. There was a loud _snap_, and the previously invisible Sith looked at their waists in horror, wondering how their stealth field generators could have suddenly fallen apart.

Juhani managed to take out three of them before they could shake off their shock. Bastila jumped forward and attempted to bring her blade down, but the Sith activated his own crimson weapon.

Revan frowned. These Sith wore black full length armorweave robes. They wore black full-head masks with T-visors and their hair was bundled up in a bun behind it. Also, their lightsabers were more..fluid. None of the block and tube of the usual lightsabers. These blades had a sleek _organic_ look about them.

One of the Sith turned to glare at Revan. His, at least Revan thought he was male, black visor made him a faceless terror. "_I know your faaaaaccceeeeee…_" Okay, a she. Revan snarled at her and flung _Mantle of the Force_ at her head. She jumped aside, but not before Revan heard the satisfying smell of burnt flesh. He had seared the flesh off her right cheek. Growling, the woman turned to face him, her orange hair a mess. He had sheared her hair band as well as chopped off clumps of hair.

Bastila and Juhani tore through most of the other Sith, leaving three others besides the woman Revan had just disfigured. Revan pointed at her. "You, you're the leader of this team, correct?" The Sith snarled, earning half of her right earlobe sliced off. "Yes!" She snarled in a regular voice.

"You're outnumbered" Revan said, walking around the Sith "I'm giving you the chance to get off this ship. There's an escape pod bay down the hall. Go crawl back to your master with this warning: Tell him the Prodigal Knight is coming for him."

The Sith made a half-hearted attempt to attack Revan, but she faltered. Slowly, under Juhani and Bastila's close watch, the defeated Sith marched to the escape pod bay.

Revan's comlink chirped. "Go ahead Carth." He said, checking the signature.

"Turns out that most of the crew survived the fumes from the explosion. We found storage compartments with a couple of gas masks left in them. They semm to have hidden in secret chambers and some used stealth field generators. Several of the shuttles are reporting being attacked by the Sith…" Revan shut off the comlink. He was about to use the turbolift, but remembering the schematics of the frigate he had been looking at, he thought better of it. Diving into the nearby stairwell, he leaped down the center shaft, landing on the docking bay level.

As Revan slipped quietly through the deserted halls, he could see the bodies of the unsuspecting Republic soldiers who had been ambushed by the cloaked Sith. Turning a corner, he saw an airlock entrance at the far end. There were five Sith standing in front of it, looking down at the dead pilots they had just slaughtered. Revan's footsteps echoed down the long corridor. The Sith's heads snapped up as they noticed Revan.

Snarling, Revan took a running leap down the long corridor. The Sith did the same, and both sides crashed into each other in the middle of the corridor. Revan took out two of the Sith before they landed, and stabbed _Heart of the Guardian_ into another. Three more Sith jumped out of the airlock, clad in pressurized durasteel battle armor. Revan cleaved another Sith in two pieces, before the remaining Sith leaped back toward his comrades and scrambled into the shuttle. "Let's go then!" Revan roared at the three armored Sith.

They ignored him, and one of them brought his comlink to his mouth. "Detonate" he said. Revan felt the danger in the Force, and just barely leaped out of the way as five deadly fragmentation mines implanted in the walls detonated, tearing out a huge chunk of the hull.

Revan managed to grab onto a pipe that had been pulled loose. Hearing the familiar sound of engines starting, he turned his head to see the shuttle, a little banged up but otherwise undamaged, enter hyperspace.

The three Sith who wore pressurized suits stood at the edge of the ripped corridor, their magnetic boots keeping them secured to the ground. Slowly but surely, they advanced towards Revan with their lit lightsabers.

Revan saw the Sith and began heaving himself up the pipe. Grabbing another, he heaved himself farther away from the depressurizing corridor. [Warning: Hull breach. Sealing Exterior Corridor A-452] said the female voice of the ship's computer. Revan looked in dismay as the armored doors at the end of the hallway closed shut. He turned back and saw the Sith were still advancing. Scrambling up, he tried to get away.

Despite Revan's efforts, the Sith were faster. Once he reached the armored doors, he discovered with dismay that they were made of cortosis, and his lightsaber shorted out upon contact. He still had _Heart of the Guardian_ with him though. _Ok_, he though _I can do this_. Concentrating, he focused on the Sith soldier's magnetic boots. Using the Force, he homed in on the tiny wires and magnetized metal parts that powered the suit. Using all his might, Revan shifted one of the gears by a millimeter, not much, but it stopped up the mechanism powering the boot. Quickly, he did the same to the other boots. The Sith troopers looked at their boots in confusion, and their scream of fury and horror was lost in the void of space as they flew out of the corridor.

Revan felt himself begin to go lightheaded. The air was draining out of the corridor too fast for him to reach the door. His grip slackened on the pipe, and his vision became blurry. Slipping into unconsciousness, he allowed the vacuum of space to grab him, knowing that it was futile to resist.

_No!_, said a voice in his head. Bastila. _Keep on fighting. I'm coming my love!_

Bastila and Juhani had returned to the elevator room to discover Revan missing. Bastila had just received Carth's message, and now she and Juhani were frantically trying to get the door open. Bastila had shorted out one side of her weapon trying to cut a hole, and Juhani was having difficulty breaking into the wiring panel cover, which was made of lightsaber resistant phrik alloy. She would break through, but not in time.

Giving up, Bastila concentrated on the door, trying to open it with the Force, but she was tiring herself out as it was too much for her. _I can't do it,_ she thought _I just can't-_

"Out of the way!" bellowed a familiar voice. Bastila opened her eyes and looked up at the armored figure of Canderous Ordo. "You two back away!" he roared through his oxygen mask "This is going to be messy!" With that, he set his heavy repeater to overload, and dived out of the way just as it detonated. The resulting explosion blasted open the doors, and Bastila was able to pull Revan to safety as the second set of armored doors closed shut.

_Revan's dreams were filled with darkness. He was walking in a dark mist. Seeing a light far away, he ran to enter it, but it disappeared. _Remember those you care for_, a voice, full of ancient wisdom and kindness, said. _Revan, Prodigal Knight, you must live! Live for Bastila. Live for your crew. Live for Rahasia and Shen, two lovers torn to bits by Malak-

"_Malak!" Revan roared "Malak, Malak, Malak, Malak! You will pay for your crimes in Hell!" The shimmering spirit of Master Vodo-Bask, the Jedi Master who had trained Exar Kun appeared. "Banish the darkness from yourself." he gurgled "Remember those who are your true enemy." He faded, along with the black mist._

_Revan now was a floating specter. He saw the same burning Temple that he had seen in his nightmares. His mind leaped forward, sensing the return of memories. Disembodied voices filled his head._

"_Remember the Mandalorian Wars…"_

"_Why did the Mandalorians attack the Republic? They would not attack weak opponents."_

"_Concentrate."_

"_Remember the Mandalorian Wars….what you did…"_

"_Where did you go Revan?"_

"_You created a Sith Empire, yet tried to preserve the Republic."_

"_Concentrate!"_

"_Remember the Mandalorian Wars…"_

"_Where did you go?"_

"_CONCENTRATE!"_

Revan gasped as his vital signs spiked sharply. "He's alive!" he heard the voice of Carth Onasi exclaim. His voice sounded faint and eerie, like Revan was hearing it from under water. His blurry vision was suddenly blocked by Bastila. "Welcome back." She breathed in relief.

"You took a nasty beating on the Sith frigate." Jolee said absentmindedly as he applied an herb paste to a wound on Revan' shoulder. "Apart from freeze burn from holding onto that pipe for so long and dehydration from the vacuum, you took some bad hits."

"Several of the ships were hijacked after your 'incident' on the Sith ship. Apparently, those cloaked Sith hitched a ride onto some of the shuttles, and once they were aboard…well, you know the details." Carth informed Revan.

"What about those armored Sith? They looked like commandos of some sort." Revan murmured, remembering the jetpacks mounted on those Sith's backs as they flew away.

"They were the worst. Created hull breaches on the ships they landed on. We lost four of our warships to them." Carth sighed "Two others were taken by the Sith into hyperspace. Senior technicians are trying to triangulate their destination, but I have a feeling they won't get far with their research."

"We've resumed our course to Coruscant, but with an escort this time. We should arrive in an hour or so." Mission commented. Revan winced as Jolee tightened the bandage on his head. Heaving himself up, he looked in a mirror. His face was cut and bruised and his right arm was heavily bandaged. Standing up, he shuffled to the port dormitory with Bastila's help.

Sitting down on the bunk, Revan noticed that Bastila had changed out of her normal outfit of a full body suit with a Jedi tunic on top into the traditional brown Jedi Robes. "Most Jedi don't approve of my attire." Bastila said with a smile, noticing his stare.


	3. Chapter 3: Reflection

This story will also feature the birth of Bastila and Revan's child, which will explain the existence of Satele Shan in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

-If you check out Satele's bio in the ST: TOR website, there are several phrases in Aurebesh that read: Jedi exiled her mother, blood of Revan, and A secret son.

I own nothing!

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The Jedi Temple stood in the middle of the bustle of Coruscant. Like a giant sentinel, it safeguarded the Republic and protected the weak. The sloped cube ended in a flat surface, where a giant spire jutted upwards, with a landing pad situated next to the Council chambers.

The _Ebon Hawk_ zoomed through the atmosphere of Coruscant, barely missing a _Sentinel_-class shuttle. "Asshole" muttered Carth while Zaalbar roared with laughter. The ship landed in the pad, more smoothly this time.

Revan sighed as the crew made their long march into the Council chambers. Situated in twelve seats around the center stone sat Master Vrook Lamar, Master Vandar Tokare, Master Lonna Vash, Master Atris, Master Dorak, Master Zhar Lestin, Master Kavar, and the empty seat Master Zez-Kai Ell, who had recently left the Order, for reasons unknown to Revan. Dorak and Zhar were technically not official members, but with the destruction of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, they had joined the High Council.

"Welcome Prodigal Knight!" Vandar began, spreading his arms in greetings.

"Yes, greetings…Revan" Vrook grumbled.

"Masters" Revan nodded. He noticed that the central pillar was marred on the side facing him. A blackened area was circled a deep hole. It was not very wide, as if some pole had been shoved into it, but Revan didn't know of anything that could do that without breaking the stone.

"A token left by your rogue general" Atris snapped, noticing his stare "The Exile, she is now."

Of all the people Revan had expected to be exiled, the Jedi Exile was not one of them. Of all the Jedi who had followed him, the Exile was the only one who had returned to answer for her crimes in the Mandalorian Wars.

"Now is not the time to dwell on this matter." Zhar ordered "Revan, the Council and I want a full debriefing."

The hours passed as Revan retold the story of the destruction of Taris, the search for the Star Maps, and finally, the fateful duel on the Star Forge. He talked about Sarna; the quite girl who stowed away on the _Ebon Hawk_, Trask Ulgo; the young ensign who sacrificed himself for Revan, Freyyr and the villagers of Rwookrrorro, and Iziz and his brave band of Jawas. He talked about the Selkaths, and his defence of Sunry on Manaan. The Council listened as he drew them into the story, retelling the tale of the Skirmish on Tatooine, Revan's involvement with the Wookie rebellion on Kashyyyk, and the Duel in Hrakert Station.

"We were on our way to report back to Dantooine when the Sith ambushed us." Revan continued "They must have been waiting for us, I don't know how, but we were caught in a tractor beam. Canderous barely had time to stage an accident and delay his regenerative implants from kicking in. The Sith believed he was dying and put him in the medical bay so the blame would be placed on the medical staff. He woke up, gathered his gear, and unlocked our cells. Carth, Bastila, and I went to disable the shield in the hangar while Canderous and the rest went to rescue the _Ebon Hawk_-"

"You weren't there, so shouldn't I tell the story?" Canderous interrupted. He stepped forward, but stopped when the Council turned their attention to him. "Canderous Ordo, one of the Mandalorians who killed countless Jedi Knights?" Vrook asked. Canderous suddenly stiffened, changing his stance into a defensive position.

"You are welcome here Mandalorian." Vandar said kindly "Please continue."

Canderous allowed a small smile of relief as he continued his account of the Skirmish aboard the _Leviathan_. "We encountered a lot of resistance going through the ship. I have to admit, it was difficult even for me. We reached the _Ebon Hawk_, but the most shocking thing we experienced was when Revan got back to the ship…"

"We fought through most of the ship's complement of Dark Jedi and Sith troopers." Revan continued "Including a very intense battle with Saul Karath and the bridge crew. Karath told Carth something before he died, but luckily, it didn't stay in the dark for long. Malak was waiting for us just as we reached the hangar." At this, the Council members gave each other nervous looks "He captured Bastila and left me with the revelation of who I truly was."

He proceeded to tell them the tale of his undercover work on Korriban. As he reached the tale of Kel Algwinn, Master Vandar stopped him. "We have learned about young Algwinn. He found us on Coruscant not long before the battle for the Star Forge."

A young man dressed in a blue Padawan robe walked nervously into the Council chambers. "You wanted to see me Masters…" he caught sight of Revan. "Milo! Oh boy, you were right about joining the Jedi. Guess what! Master Yuthura-sorry, Yuthura Ban joined up not long after I did!"

"Kel…" Lonna cautioned him. "You're rambling again."

Kel bowed. "Yes, oh sorry Master Vash…" A purple-skinned Twi'lek female in a black Jedi Knight robe walked in. "Well, looks like a big family reunion." Yuthura Ban sighed as she caught sight of Revan.

"_I still think I should throttle her for calling me a slave_." Zaalbar growled to Mission.

"Aye, me too" Juhani agreed, both of them giving Yuthura cold looks.

"Revan, please continue." Atris said, motioning with her hand.

Revan nodded and proceeded to tell the tale of his fight with Uthar Wynn in the tomb of Naga Sadow. He then proceeded to tell the tale of their crash-landing on Lethon and the encounter with the Rakata. With a slight gulp, he recounted the fight with Bastila on the Temple of the Ancient's top. Revan continued to tell them about the _Ebon Hawk_'s perilous boarding of the Star Forge, and their meeting with the Jedi who had accompanied them. "While some of the Jedi secured the hangar, the others went ahead to take out any resistance." Revan said, remembering how he, Canderous, and Zaalbar had followed the Jedi, only to see them fall at the first Sith they encountered. "Mission, Juhani, and Jolee went and took out some of the defense turbolasers, before returning to the ship. My party had just fought through most of the Forge's complement of battle droids, soldiers, and Dark Jedi. We reached the control room, but Bastila was waiting for us…"

_Revan ignited his lightsaber, and charged Bastila. Locking blades, they began to exchange blows. Bastila blasted him back with a bout of Force lightning, and he shot her back with a Force Wave. _Heart of the Guardian_ lay on the deck, knocked out of Revan's hand from Bastila's lightning attack. Snarling, Bastila leaped up and kicked him in the chest. Revan winced as the air was knocked out of him. Bastila did not stop her attack, nicking Revan in the shoulder and leaving a smoking scar. Acting quickly, Revan leaped backwards. With strength born out of his undying love for her, Revan leaped at Bastila, grabbed her head, and sliced her lightsaber in two. With another swipe, his blade made contact with her stomach, leaving a deep laceration which brought her to her knees…_

"It was good that you were able to redeem Bastila and not kill her." Master Vandar noted "I for one believe that this is proof that you have truly returned to the light." Revan thanked him and finished the tale. His duel with Malak interested the Masters, particularly what had become of the bodies of some of the Jedi who had died on Dantooine. "It is good that Malak is dead." Vrook said "Now, we must decide your fate."

His words were met with cries of outrage from the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_, Yuthura, and Kel. "With all due respect Masters," Bastila pleaded "surely you still do not consider Revan a threat?"

"How much do you remember of your…_past_ life?" Atris asked, ignoring Bastila.

"Just a few memories, some flashes. Nothing significant." Revan said. _But those few memories also contain the atrociousness I committed as a Sith Lord. And it is really more than just a few memories…_

"Well then, I believe that you don't pose a threat!" Master Kavar said enthusiastically. Master Zhar nodded in agreement. Vrook didn't look so sure.

"Leave us while we consult on the matter" Vandar said, addressing the group "We will summon you when we have finished."

"Bastila, do you want to talk?" Revan said, running to catch up with Bastila, who was avoiding him as the group walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple.

"No, I would just like to be left alone." She said absentmindedly. Even without the Force, Revan knew she was lying, and for some reason, it made him mad.

"Ok, look. I've accepted your hiding my true identity from me, keeping secrets as you please, but I've had enough. If you have a problem with me, say it!"

Bastila whirled around. "Me keeping secrets? Who was it that lied to the Jedi Council about 'just having a few memories, nothing more'? More and more come back every day…"

"…and they make me suffer every night!" Revan yelled, not caring whether the others heard his voice. "I lived for three months, completely ignorant of my significance. Do you think I like being Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith, and butcher of thousands of innocent Jedi and civilians…" His rant was cut off as Zaalbar gave a mighty roar, and lifted both of the Jedi like toys and shaking them like rag dolls.

"Easy Big Z…" Mission said, trying to calm him down "Bastila and Revan are just having…uh…spousal issues!" she said brightly. A loud snort from Carth, Jolee, and Canderous made her whirl around to face them. For a few seconds, they gave her looks of pure innocence, then broke out in peals of laughter, causing several Jedi to stick their heads of their rooms.

"Hehehehee…you…you two…" Jolee chortled, holding his sides "You sounded like an old married couple!" Then he fell down laughing, tears rolling down his cheek. Juhani just gave them looks of pure contempt. "Maybe you two should go to your quarters and calm down." Revan nodded and as soon as Zaalbar let him and Bastila down, the couple walked away.

_Revan covered his eyes as the explosion lit up the dark vacuum of space. He didn't know where he was, but he seemed to be watching the scene as if he was watching a hologram, but with everything solid. A vessel, strangely reminiscent of the Hammerhead-class capital ships, was being attacked by a smaller black craft. The larger ship had the markings of a Republic vessel, but Revan could not identify the markings of the smaller vessel._ Sith_…murmured a voice in his ear. Revan turned around, but there was only the blackness of space. "_Betrayal_…" the voice hissed. Revan could now identify it as an old woman. A thunderbolt struck him as he realized who it was. "Kreia!" he roared "Show yourself!" He was greeted with silence. Suddenly the scene shifted. Revan was standing on a grassy lawn in the middle of a beautiful enclave in the mountains of a temperate world. He saw children sparring with lightsabers. _Is this a Jedi Enclave?_ he wondered. Out of the corner of his eye, a woman wearing the brown and navy blue robes of a Grand Master sauntered across the lawn, laughing and chatting with the man in white armor who was walking next to her._

_The woman seemed familiar…Suddenly, all eyes, Revan's included, were drawn to the sky. A black shape blotted out the sun, its engines whining as black figures leaped out onto the Jedi Enclave landing pad, wielding crimson lightsabers. The woman, now facing away from Revan, whirled around, her green lightsaber already activated. Suddenly, she stopped. Revan realized, she could see him. Quickly, he looked down at himself. His body was transparent, like a ghost. "Nononono…go back to invisible!" His body faded away. The woman, shaking her head, leaped forward and sliced a Sith in two. Around her, other Jedi were dueling Sith, while the younglings ran for cover. The young man in white armor put on his helmet and brought up his large grenade-launching rifle. Letting loose at the Sith ship, he tore it apart. Without aerial support, the Sith commandos were easily cut down._

Revan woke up in a cold sweat. _The woman…Kreia_. Was this how he would die? Insane and haunted by the ghost of his former teacher?

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The next chapter will take places four months after the finale of Star Wars: KOTOR. In that time inbetween, Revan visited most of the planets he had visited during the Mandalorian Wars and during his campaign as Dark Lord.

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	4. Chapter 4: Sunrider Legacy

The Underworld of Coruscant was mentioned in Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Fun Fact: Coruscant is devoid of any plant life, save for the depths of the deep ancient stone structures and caverns that used to be the surface of Coruscant.

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Four Months after the Battle of Rakata Prime**

**Underworld, Coruscant**

The underworld of Coruscant was a haven for pirates, smugglers, and anyone involved in shady dealings that ended up in blackmail, murder, and torture, not necessarily in that order. But it was the perfect place to get information.

Revan watched as the transport lifted off. It was too late to turn back now. Bastila assumed he was spending the day resting, and had taken the _Ebon Hawk_ to Alderaan, where she told him she was to be part of an ambassadorial committee to the Queen of Alderaan. He had spent the last three months traveling to all of the planets he had fought on during the Mandalorian Wars to unlock the mystery of the Sith.

A young Zeltron prostitute sidled up to him, but stormed off when he backed away. In this world of hell, he could sense the terror of those about to die, the pain of the crippled, and the loathing satisfaction of the Hutts.

In the _Galaxy Pleasure_ cantina, Jolee Bindo sipped his Juma juice in silence, eyeing the poledancers in the corner of the room. "Shame on you old man…" snickered a voice behind him. Jolee smiled. "Well, well…hello Vima." Vima Sunrider; daughter of Nomi Sunrider, former Grand Master; and full-fledged Jedi Sentinel smiled at her old "Uncle Jolee", and sat down opposite of him.

Revan drifted through the throngs of refugees streaming out from a landing shuttle. They had come from Taris, along with thousands of others who were in similar situations across the galaxy. Personally, he felt a little guilty, for if he hadn't tried to escape Taris with Bastila, Alex might have never ordered the destruction of the planet's crust. _Alex_…he had to learn to call Malak by his old name. _In the end, he did redeem himself, if only for a few second_… thought Revan.

He could sense someone tailing him as he walked down an alley. Probably trying to push him into an ambush…A group of ten or eleven men and woman leaped down from the adjoining buildings. They all wore black scarves over their faces, with only their eyes visible. Most carried curved vibroswords and Bothan stun sticks, but Revan could see two brandishing heavy repeaters in the back. "No one uses our alley without paying…" one, a man, sneered.

"…and you look like you know where you're going" a woman purred dangerously. Her red hair peeked out of her headcloth. "Time for you to pay!" Revan smiled sweetly at her.

"If you insist…" With a _snap-hiss_, Heart of the Guardian was in his hands. The woman laughed. "If that's how you want to play…" She shifted her right arm, revealing the shoto hidden in her right sleeve. "Then we'd be glad to oblige you."

Revan gulped inside. Facing ten lightsaber-wielding opponents would be nearly impossible to walk away without severe injuries. And now he could sense their Force sensitivity, as they no longer were concealing it.

Revan twisted his body into the single-handed low guard opening stance of Form III: Makashi. While Vaapad would have served him nicely, it reminded him too much of his Sith days, something he did not want to revisit. The Sith, using Form I: Shii-Cho, leaped at him and they began to duel.

"So where have you been hiding all these years, Uncle Jolee?" Vima inquired as they sipped their drinks.

"Oh, here and there. Much of it was spent on Kashyyyk. Nice people, the Wookies, but don't get on their bad side."

"I hear Czerka was forced offplanet because of some rebellion. You got anything to do with that?" Vima asked knowingly.

"Well, you could say that. But it was mainly due to Revan-"

Vima choked on her drink. "_Revan_? As in dark side, Jedi killing Revan?"

"The one and only" Jolee chortled "He's not that bad once you get to meet him. A little impudent in my opinion, and too much of a daredevil, but he does have exceptional leader qualities."

"So you joined the crew of the…" Vima stopped suddenly. "I sense it too." Jolee nodded grimly. Something was going on in the back alley of the cantina, and Jolee could sense a familiar presence.

Revan locked blades with one of his assailants, twisting around and knocking him back. Two of his attackers lay in smoking pieces on the alley ground. Suddenly, he heard the _snap-hiss_ of two more lightsabers. Jolee and an unfamiliar woman wielding a maroon blade ran out of the cantina's back door.

The fight was a stalemate: neither side was skilled enough to defeat the other. The duel progressed into an energy collection plant, where huge vats of boiling oil left over from the various cantinas were used as fuel for five very large turbines at the far end of the plant.

All of the combatants were fighting on the maintenance catwalks hanging over the vats, but there was one problem: The catwalk system was not designed to take the weight of eleven full-grown adult humans jumping around like they were on a low-gravity simulator at a fair. Even worse, the various lightsaber swings and deflecting bounces cut into the metal, weakening the catwalks.

"Admit it" roared the red-haired woman "You can't beat us Revan!" Revan responded with a dropkick to her mouth. She turned her head toward him and spat. Blood blurred Revan vision as he desperately tried to wipe the blood away, but the woman gave no respite. Revan barely got his blade up to deflect a swing which would have decapitated him.

Canderous Ordo sighed as he hung up the armor of Cassus Fett in the small closet. This apartment he had received as payment for his services to the Republic was perfect, plain and Spartan. His small bedroom overlooked The Works, the ancient industrial region of Coruscant which was filled with factories and warehouses and the top of the infamous Undercity.

He was about to head out when his comlink chirped. "Have you seen Revan?" said the anxious voice of Carth Onasi.

"Negative Carth. I've got better things to do than play nurse to my employer. Besides, he can take care of himself. And isn't he in the Jedi Temple?"

"That's what I thought" Carth sighed "Temple security footage shows him and Jolee Bindo leaving the Temple almost consecutively. We lost Jolee, but Revan boarded a shuttle for the Undercity. There've been reports of loud noises coming from the Nexus Region in the Works. Also, Warehouse D4-329's security cameras have picked up something going on in the energy collection and oil refinery plant. The signal's not that good but it appears to be at least 15 humanoids fighting on top of the maintenance catwalks, and we've got at least twenty other unknowns running to their location."

"I'm on it" Canderous replied, grabbing Cassus Fett's armor, Fett's pistol and his Trandoshan double-bladed Blade. The Nexus Region was nearby, and he had his own way of getting there…

Revan didn't know where or when the armored soldiers arrived, but he did know that they weren't on their side. With the added help of Jolee and the mystery woman, he had taken down five more of the Sith, and had sent two flying into the boiling oil.

**Tatooine…**

Bastila never imagined that she would set foot on this barren rock again. All she could see was sand, sand….and more sand. It was everywhere, in her food, the ship, and in her clothing, which was awfully uncomfortable.

The meeting on Alderaan had gone peacefully, but something kept on eating at her mind. Revan had involved himself in some shady business during her captivity by Darth Malak, including delivering a strange box to Motta the Hutt, prime gangster in Ancherhead. Revan had later told her that it was a Rakata prison, but he didn't know what Motta did with it. Plus she had some personal business to take care of…

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	5. Chapter 5: Seeds of the Future

**Coruscant…**

Revan was outnumbered. Jolee and the mysterious Jedi woman were being hemmed in on another catwalk by a bunch of Sith troopers. Now, he was surrounded by the main force. "Any last word, _Jedi_…" the red-haired woman sneared. Suddenly, they all turned their heads as a large flaming object came crashing through the skylight.

"Eat my exhaust Sith!" roared Canderous and he flew rings around the Sith with his jetpack, peppering them with a spray of blasterfire. Then he swooped in, kicking the woman in the chest and sending her stumbling backwards off the catwalk…into one of the oil vats. She screamed as the oil burned her back as her troopers desperately pulled her out with their climbing cables.

All of a sudden, the main doors came crashing down and Republic soldiers, along with tank escorts, rumbled inside the plant. The female Sith, now with a crippled back and three burn scratches on her face from missed cable throws, turned to Revan. "This isn't over Revan. We will meet again…" Revan barely had time to shout a "Dive for cover!" to his allies before Force-leaping down to the bottom of the collection plant, sliding down the side of one of the vats. Canderous felt a sharp tug and was pulled down himself by Jolee as he and Vima jumped as well.

An explosion ripped through the roof of the plant as a _Sentinel_-class shuttle swooped in, its cannons blazing. Tanks exploded, sending Republic troopers diving for cover, many wreathed in orange flames. The Sith commandos leaped aboard the open boarding ramp of the hovering shuttle and it took off.

**Manaan…**

"Alright Sith, you've got five seconds and then we go in!" roared Sunry as he, the Republic soldiers, and the Force-sensitive Selkath led by Shasa readied for battle.

"Five, four, three, two, one…GO!" The troopers charged inside the base, Sunry leading the charge. A squad of Sith were waiting for them, and began firing their weapons. Several Selkath were struck down, but their companions inflicted deep wounds with their claws on the Sith as revenge. As the entrance lobby was secured, the troopers began moving down the hallways. As Sunry moved down one, he heard a faint _tap-tap-tap_ and the cocking of a rifle. "Get down!" he roared to his men as two Sith war droids appeared around the corner and began taking down his men.

Sunry saw one of his men drop his weapon as a lucky shot grazed his thigh. The Sith droids, sensing weakness, turned their attention to him. "NO!" roared Sunry, leaping in front of the men, his blaster blazing.

The soldier turned to his commander, who lay sprawled on the ground. "Sir?" he asked hesitantly.

"Good…fight!" Sunry smiled. A bubble of blood popped on his lips and his vision faded as he spun into a black oblivion. Strangely, the last thing he saw was a ghostly image silently watching the battle…

**Coruscant… **

"Next time, I need a less self-injuring entrance" Canderous chuckled as he pulled shards of glass that had penetrated the seams in his armor out. His healing implants did the rest.

"I've seen that woman before..." Revan realized, remembering the Sith assassin he had encountered on the battle frigate.

"Well, you seem to attract beautiful woman wherever you go. Though that one's going to need the help of facial reconstruction to attract _any_ man in the future. Shouldn't have let her live."

"I know, but it's not the Jedi way." Revan sighed, silently cursing the Jedi code.

"So…you're Vima Sunrider?" Revan asked nervously. The red-haired woman just glared at him. "Not much of a talker" Revan whispered to Jolee "From the things you said about Nomi…"

"You told this poor excuse for a Jedi about your friendship with my mother?" Vima asked coldly.

"Now Vima, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Revan's reformed now." Jolee chided her. Vima just huffed and stormed out of the room.

"Well, that went well" Revan muttered as he limped down the hallway. Jedi passing by would stare at him, but turn away quickly when he glared at them.

"You've made QUITE an impression of yourself amongst the young 'uns around here." Jolee said kindly "Just not the positive one.

The two of them walked around the corner to find Bastila standing with Helena Shan, Carth Onasi, and half the Jedi Council with their arms crossed, glaring at Revan.

"Under what assumption" Vrook said through gritted teeth as he paced the Council Chambers "did you think you could leave the Jedi Temple and follow a lead to a mystery you didn't tell us about, and not say anything to anyone?"

"If I hadn't commed Canderous when we couldn't find you, you would have been boiled in grease" Carth grumbled. Canderous sat in the back of the room, stun cuffs on his wrists for 'crimes of misdemeanors including swearing in public and operating an illegally obtained and outlawed jetpack without a license, causing serious structural damage to the En-Corp power plant, and causing public panic in a 5-mile radius'. As Revan had later found out, Canderous had apparently taken a running leap through the streets to get higher elevation when he activated his jetpack, causing several hundred civilians to think he was coming for them since he was holding two vibroswords and had six blasters holstered to his bodies.

Revan tossed and turned in his sleep. His dreams were filled with strange visions. _"You are to be recommended for making it this far…" Kreia smiled. He couldn't see her, but he felt her. "Ok Kreia, why am I here?" Revan asked. An image floated into focus. "You left the Jedi Order after Malachor V. You traveled into the Unknown Regions, where the Republic lost all contact with you. Then you invaded the Republic, hoping to unite the galaxy under your banner and use the Star Forge to an unknown threat that would be coming to the galaxy._

_"But the Star Forge is destroyed!" Revan exclaimed._

_"Yes, well there goes that plan. Pity, I actually liked it." Kreia chuckled "But there is another way. You have several important allies who can help you prepare the galaxy…"_

_Revan already knew "This threat was somehow responsible for the Mandalorians' invasion of the Republic. In battle, they were magnificent. Canderous is a Mandalorian, mercenary yes, but a Mandalorian no less. If he can reunite the Mandalorians under one banner…_

_Carth is the next. If he continues rising in the Republic navy, he can begin training more soldiers, commissioning the construction of more advanced capitol ships._

_Bastila…" At this, Revan paused "For the Republic to be ready, the path I despise with all my heart is the one I must travel." Then he spoke to Kreia "Ok, was this really you, or did it just happen in my dream?"_

_Kreia smiled "Now, what kind of a teacher would I be if I gave you all the answers?"_

"It could be worse." Jolee chuckled as Canderous glanced over the long list of fines and the bail Revan had paid and posted for him. He would be paying Revan back for the rest of his life and then some. "I mean, you could have owed money to the Exchange!"

"The Exchange is like an annoying kath hound compared to Revan" Canderous mumbled "You didn't see Revan on Taris just before the Sith made sure there wasn't a structure over two feet left standing. He sliced open Davik Kang like a fruit."

"And the Exchange _has_ placed a price over your head." The two of them turned to see Revan strolling into the room.

"Canderous, may I talk to you?" Canderous nodded and followed Revan into an empty classroom. "Many things important will happen today…" Revan began. As he told Canderous what he had decided, Canderous' eyes widened.

"…you can unite the Mandalorians under one banner!" Revan finished. Canderous just shook his head.

"The Mandalorians can only be led by their Mandalore. And the Mandalore must wear the mask of Mandalore. It is our sign of leadership and is only worthy of those who prove themselves worthy of the title of **Mand'alor**. Mandalore the Ultimate was slain by you in one-on-one combat aboard his flagship at Malachor V. You took his mask and hid it so we would never have a leader. And without it, the Mandalorians are so banged up and dispersed that we would never have a strong central leadership. I mean, we _could_ technically forge a new mask, but arguments would arise over whether I am worthy to become **Mand'alor** and we wouldn't be organized for a true fight for decades to come."

"The mask of Mandalore the Ultimate was left on Malachor V by Darth Revan." Revan corrected as he stared out the window "You'll find it buried near the crash site of the first Revanchist drop ship that landed on the planet." Then he turned around "The armor and weaponry of Cassus Fett will serve you well as a symbol of your clan until you find more suitable armor."

**The Jedi Archives, Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

"May I help you Jedi Revan?" Revan turned around to find Chronicler Master Dorak walking up behind him.

"Yes, I'm looking up information on Naga Sadow's Sith Empire." At this, Dorak frowned a little.

"Naga Sadow's Sith Empire…I'm afraid you'll find little about that here. Most of our records were stored on Dantooine but with the attack on the Enclave…" Then he brightened up "However, I can give you some information of what I memorized from the records."

Revan smiled "That's all I need. Now, after the defeat of Naga Sadow, what happened to his empire?"

"That was one of our darkest times." Dorak said grimly "No one knows what exactly happened to his shattered empire. The Jedi wiped out most of the Sith, but the exact details were sketchy at most. Strangely, some still believe that it still exists, led by a weakened Sith Lord, too weak to continue the fight, waiting for his strength to come back."


	6. Chapter 6: Duel

I thought it would be cool to have all the characters in a training duel.

Note that Revan can defeat a dozen Jedi on his own, as this will be important later on.

**

* * *

Lightsaber Training Room, Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

"I will be your doom!" Juhani roared, bringing her lightsaber forward in a downward slash, except Jolee Bindo was already behind her. "And yet, I win again…" he chuckled, lightly tapping her on the back. The blade, automatically set to its lowest setting, just delivered a minor jolt of electricity through Juhani's body, leaving a small welt, instead of piercing her heart.

"Alright, my turn" Revan said, shedding his heavy cloak, mask, and armor. He then put on a standard blue Jedi Knight robe with shoulder guards and chest armor. Positioning his saber in a Soresu stance, he beckoned for Jolee and Juhani to stand together "Alright, I want ten more Jedi up here!" he challenged the assembled Padawans and Knights.

Bastila chuckled. Along with Kel Algwinn, Yuthura Ban, Mekel, and six other Jedi, they exchanged their blades for standard training sabers. The twelve Jedi faced Revan, their blades at the ready. Carth smiled and stepped in to join Revan. "Like on Taris…" he muttered.

"Reckless adults" Master Vrook Lamar muttered "Two against twelve...the odds are already against them.". Vandar just shook his head "Alright. The duel will last for one standard hour. Force powers and stun blasters are allowed. If a blade or stun bolt makes contact with your torso, you are out of the match. No intentional harm is allowed. Ready…set…fight!"

Two Bothan Jedi and one Lethan Twi'lek Padawan roared and charged Revan, who easily side-stepped and tapped one of the Bothans and the Twi'lek, sending them out. The last one whirled around and brought her blade against Revan's, who forced her backwards and tapped her stomach.

Kel, Mekel, and Jolee teamed up against Revan. Jolee delivered a stinging blow to Revan's leg. While it did not mean his defeat, it delivered a shocking blow. Revan leaped up and executed a somersault in the air, landing behind Kel and Mekel, and drawing his blade in a straight line across their backs. "Nice move Revan" Kel grinned, as he and Mekel supported each other out of the fight circle.

Bastila moved in with her double-bladed blue training saber, exchanging a flurry of blows with Revan. While she distracted him, Jolee and Juhani snuck up behind him…only to be flung against the wall when he wheeled around and blasted them with a Force push. Carth, who was dueling a Chadra-Fan Jedi with a training saber and blaster, shot two stun bolts at them, sending them out.

"For a non-Jedi, you certainly handle a lightsaber very well!" Revan laughed, and Carth kicked the Chadra-Fan's blade out of his hands and poked his upper torso.

Now, only four Jedi, including Bastila and Yuthura, remained. Bastila leaped over Revan and dispatched Carth while he dueled with Yuthura. "Alright!" he roared as she tapped his again with a smug smile on her face "I'm out! I'm out!"

Revan easily took out two more Jedi, before turning to face Yuthura and Bastila. Because of their bond, the two lovers knew the other's every move. Yuthura was not gifted with this advantage, and Revan grabbed her sword-arm, forced it out of the way, and brought his blade into her stomach. "Uummmph!" she groaned as the air was knocked out of her.

"This is going to get interesting…" Jolee muttered to Carth and Juhani. "Want to place bets on who's gonna win? The arrogant Padawan or the renegade Jedi?"

Bastila leaped backwards, and Revan did likewise. Now, they stood on opposite sides of the arena. "You cannot win Revan…" she mocked him, echoing her words years before.

"Yah, well this time, you don't have Malak firing on me to give you an advantage" Revan shot back, chuckling. Then, he suddenly ran forward, his lightsaber at the ready. Bastila ran forward as well and they met in the middle of the field in a blinding shower of sparks. Their moves were fluid, and their bodies graceful. Each knew the other's moves and intentions. Sweat formed on both of their brows as they began tiring.

"The match has been going on for three hours…" Vrook warned Vandar. The Jedi Master just smiled. "This could prove to be a most interesting lesson to the younger members of our Order…"

By now, almost the entire Temple had squeezed into the arena to watch the magnificent battle.

**Ebon Hawk, Temple Hangar, Coruscant**

[It is true my small counterpart] HK-47 snapped as he lounged in the oil bath Zaalbar had set up for him before he and the rest of the crew had gone to watch Revan and Bastila's fight. [Master and his female meatbag are often very intimate in the cargo hold-] T3 let out a long sputter of outraged beeps and whistles.

[Smug statement: Just because you were bought by the Master first does not mean you are the closer.] T3 pondered this for a while before going to the wall and plugging into a computer socket. Then he began a long chorus of chirps and whistles which were translated on a monitor [Master bought me first. I got him into the Sith base on Taris. Where were you? Oh, that's right, shut down because you were the death of _how many masters_? And secondly, what Master Milo and Mistress Bastila do in the cargo hold when they think no one is watching is _their own business_.]

[Enraged statement: Why you little trash bin! The only thing you're good for is being a table!] At this, Teethree let out an ion pulse beam at HK, sending the droid flying out of the oil bath. [Smug statement: Is that the best you can do little-] Teethree rolled up and rammed HK against the wall. The two droids began scuffling around the main hold, leaving blastmarks and holes in the wall as they wrestled with each other.

**Lightsaber Training Room, Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

"They've been at it for five hours now…" Vrook said urgently to Vandar.

"And yet, neither has given ground. This may be the longest duel we've seen between two people…" Vandar muttered in reply.

Revan brought his blade down on one of Bastila's blades of her double-bladed lightsaber. He quickly brought it up to deflect a swipe from her other blade. "The Force fights with me!" she snarled, sending Revan flying back with a gesture. Revan responded with a blast of green Force lightning, shocking the crowd. Bastila easily absorbed the energy into one of her blades.

"You trust these two to use dark side powers in a friendly match?" Vrook roared at Vandar.

"My friend, these two are so in tune with the Force and each other, they couldn't possibly hurt one another." Dorak smiled. "Though we should keep an eye on the duel more carefully, as this_ is _getting out of control."

Bastila responded by throwing her blade at Revan, who flipped backwards to avoid the spinning weapon. Taking advantage of her temporary loss of her weapon, he charged forward. Suddenly, Bastila Force-called one of the training lightsabers on the arena floor to her hand. As Revan leaped at her, she leaped as well.

"What is it, what happened?" Carth asked anxiously, peering over the heads of the now-standing Jedi students.

Revan and Bastila lay on the floor, Revan on top and Bastila on the bottom. Each had their lightsaber ready to strike at the other's heart.

Revan didn't know how long that stalemate lasted. All he could think about was the sweat trickling down his face and the heat of Bastila's body next to him. After what seemed like an eternity, Master Vandar stood up and addressed the crowd from the podium.

"For the first time ever in the history of the Jedi Knights, we have a stalemate in the arena!" The crowd cheered as Revan and Bastila both struggled up. Revan was breathing heavily as he and Bastila, followed by a crowd of fans and admirers, marched out of the arena and into the Entrance Forum.

**Temple Medical Bay, Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

"That was exciting" Jolee said dryly as one of the Temple healers, a female Selkath, tended to the welts he had sustained in the training arena. "Reminded me of the duel you two had in the Star Forge."

"Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that…" Juhani muttered dryly "You were frozen in stasis the entire time."

"That's right!" Jolee exclaimed. Then he turned to Bastila's closed ward, where a medical droid was tending to the tens of small burns and welts she had as a reminder of her and Revan's vicious duel. "You still owe me a thousand credits for that! It took days to get those cricks out of my neck after standing still for so long!"

"Shut up Jolee" said the outline of Revan against his closed ward "Canderous was in stasis for as long as you were and I didn't see _him_ complaining."

"Mandalorians are trained to ignore those small annoyances like neck cramps and the loss of limbs and focus on the more major wounds."

"Excuse me, how is the loss of limbs a 'small annoyance'?" Mission asked curiously.

"There's always a prosthetic limb." Canderous explained "The limb does not make the warrior. A warrior is judged on his valor and skill, not his physical appearance! And besides, I think blowing a hole through your chest is more major than the loss of a limb."

"I still can't believe you took out eleven trained Jedi in less than an hour!" Mission continued "No wonder you were able to take on all those Dark Jedi in the Rakata Temple and aboard the Star Forge!"

"You guys fought against Dark Jedi as well." Jolee reminded her. "From what I understand, the rest of the crew captured five turbolaser emplacements near the hangar bay we docked in and helped bring down an _Interdictor_-class vessel!"

Revan struggled up. Grabbing his clothes and gear from the hook by his bed, he shouldered them and walked out of the med bay. "When you're ready crew!"

Mission leaned close to Jolee and whispered "When do you think he's going to realize he's still wearing his hospital gown?"

**Telos IV, Telos System**

Above the orange desolate rock that had once been Telos IV, or just Telos, the heavens were filled with ships and shuttles. Supreme Chancellor Cressa had decreed Telos to be the first planet to undergo a Republic-sponsored restoration effort to rebuild and repopulate the planets left shattered by Revan and Malak's deadly crusade.

Floating above the northwestern hemisphere of Telos was an armada of science vessels, shuttles, and construction ships. They were constructing a large grid network of girders and other support structures that would later support habitation modules. Already, a fifth of grid that would support a massive orbital space station had been completed. Titanic modules had already been fitted into the grid network and a small population of families, scientists, and workers had settled in those completed modules.

"Orbiting the skies above the surface of Telos IV, the completed space station wo;; contain a vast number of residential modules for station personnel, entertainment modules that included cantinas and other commercial venues, docking modules that contained hangar bays for incoming and outgoing starships, as well as small docks for inter-station shuttles. As an aid to navigation, each module will be given a numerical designation appended to its type" said the crew of the Ebon Hawk's guide, TD-45. "The station itself will also project the shield walls that will separate the restoration zones from each other, generating and controlling the weather patterns over each area."

"The Ithorians are true masters architects as well as complete pacifists and environmentalists." Bastila said, admiring the vastness of Citadel Station.

"Well said, Padawan Shan…" The group turned to see Chodo Habat, the Ithorian leader of the Telosian Restoration Project walking over.

"I am honored to have a refugee from this world with us today." He rumbled, indicating at Carth with his right hand.

"Thank you Administrator Habat." Carth murmured, bowing to the Ithorian. Chodo just smiled with his two mouths "Bowing is not necessary, Captain Onasi. You have just shown me why we are embarking on this quest to restore planets from Malak and your companion's former identity's ravaging campaign. Revan was a terrible devil."

"Why do you refer to me as a separate entity from Revan?" Revan asked curiously. He could detect a small Force-output from Chodo. _He must be Force-sensitive_, Revan thought.

"It was not of his own free will that Revan was redeemed. You are not Revan, but the identity that the Council planted within his body. Had none of your adventures happened, I'm sure Revan would have never redeemed himself."

**Entertainment Module D-34, Citadel Station, Telos IV**

Jolee gulped down his water while Mission idly played with her plate of Kruffy Pot Pie. Even Zaalbar, who hadn't eaten in a day, sat staring at his platter of food. Juhani just sighed and glanced at Canderous, the only one of the group who was, albeit slowly, eating. All were still pondering over Chodo Habat's words earlier that day.

A group of seedy looking men sauntered over to Mission. "Well look'yall here! A Lethan Twi'lek! Say, how much for a lap dance for me and me pals?" their leader, a heavily armed Devarorian purred.

"_How much for me to not rip your arms out of their sockets!_" Zaalbar growled.

"Ooo, looks like your boyfriend is jealous!" A young tattooed human male chuckled, slowly idling alongside Mission. "What's a pretty girl like you doing with these losers?"

Juhani made to stand up, but Jolee cautioned her. "_Something's up…_" he murmured. Then he smiled at the men. "She's my daughter-in-law boys! Me and my friends are taking care of her while her parents work on the station."

"Maybe…" the Devarorian chuckled dangerously "Or maybe you and your gang are waiting for your leader…_Revan_?"

Just like that, he suddenly found himself thrown back, landing in a family who had just gotten their food. The Devarorian snarled and leaped up, blaster in hand. "The Sith posted major bounties on all of ya!" he roared.

The bar patrons and guests scurried to the sidelines or fled as the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ slowly stood up.

With a dangerous grin, Juhani and Jolee each respectively activated their lightsabers. Mission brought out her vibroblade while Zaalbar withdrew Bacca's Blade. Canderous casually withdrew the pistol of Cassus Fett and pointed it at the Devarorian. As his opponent made to aim his blaster, Canderous stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. By the time you would have raised your weapon, I would have put a bullet between your eyes." He growled.

The Devarorian pondered this, smiled, and then threw a small round object at them. "Thermal detonator!" roared Jolee as he and the others dived for cover.

"Don't worry about what Habat said!" Bastila said to Revan as they walked towards the cantina. "I will always love you, no matter who you-" They had barely enough time to dive for cover as an explosion ripped the passageway in front of them.

"What the hell happened?" Revan said coughing. Then he saw the transparisteel window begin to crack. "Oh god…"

Bastila screamed as the window shattered from the blast, exposing the module to the vacuum of space. She and Revan barely had time to leap through a closing armored door before the hallway completely depressurized.

Zaalbar groaned as he lay dazed and confused. He was trapped under a steel girder and could not move. He could feel a hot sticky substance trickling down his forehead, chest, and arms. Blinded by the blood, he let out a huge roar which shook the room.

Nearby, Jolee and Mission were roused by the frantic cries of their trapped friend. "Hold-_cough_-on, Big-_cough_-Z! We-_cough_- can't help you until you-_cough_-calm down!" Mission choked. Jolee created a bubble of fresh air around them as they made their way towards Zaalbar, guided by his cries of pain and anguish. "Oh my lord…" Jolee gasped. A large pillar lay sideways on top of Zaalbar. His right arm was badly mangled while his left arm lay motionless, save for the occasional twitch. Sudden movement in the pile of rubble next to Zaalbar prompted Jolee to reach for his lightsaber…only to find he had misplaced it during the explosion. With a roar of triumph, the dusty and battered figure of Canderous Ordo broke through the surface, coughing and gasping for air.

"Well, this is going to be a toughy…" Canderous said thoughfully as the three of them tried to figure out how to free Zaalbar without injuring him further. Finally, under Jolee's careful supervision, Mission began carving out chunks of the girder with her plasma torch while Canderous began dragging some of the looser debris away. Then, they carefully lifted the girder long enough for Zaalbar to roll to safety. Then they let it drop with a huge _bang!_, causing a cloud of dust to rise, sending them all into fits of coughing.

"Where's Juhani?" Jolee asked suddenly, realizing the Cathar Jedi was nowhere in sight.

Juhani had been thrown clear of the blast by the initial shockwave, saving her from any serious damage. Now, several compartments away from her companions, she roused herself just in time to see emergency bulkheads sealing the module, trapping the inhabitants. Through another hole, she saw the group of bounty hunters scrambling away. "Oh, no you don't!" she growled, heaving herself up and chasing after the bounty hunters.

"We sealed off the major bulkheads in that module." Commander Tolrik sighed "But any section too damaged by the blast didn't respond to the system. From what we've been able to gather, if your friends survived the explosion, they should be alive if the emergency power was able to kick in and activate the backup armored doors. But with the docking hatches destroyed and half the module reduced to rubble, I don't know how we're going to reach them."

They were all bending over a table with a screen on top, showing a 3-D blueprint of the damaged module. "These look like exterior airlocks." Revan noted, indicating several dark hatches on the top of the module.

"The explosion ruptured the fuel lines in there. The fumes from the fuel are being vented into space." Tolrik argued "If you try and enter it that way, there's a good chance you could lose your life and even if you do succeed, we wouldn't be able to send aid if you get in a situation."

"Then I'll make sure I don't need help." Revan called over his shoulder as he walked out of the command center. Carth hesitated before following him.

[The Ithorians sure had EVAs in mind when they designed this place] Revan said to Carth through their suits' communication arrays. The Ithorians had indeed, placing gravity plating along specific routes all over the modules, like a strange road. The plating was designed to also counteract the suits' magnetic boots, allowing Revan and Carth to walk more easily instead of shuffling along the side of the module.

[I think my space-sickness is coming back…] Carth groaned. They were standing on the side of the module and it looked like they were walking up a cliff.

[Just concentrate on the ground ahead of you] Revan advised. Carth followed his friend's words and instantly felt better. [We're almost there…] Revan noted. They had been skirting around the fuel vents to avoid any fuel getting caught in their oxygen supply.

[Turn the hatch valve 90 degrees clockwise and push forward.] Commander Tolrik ordered from the command center [Once you are both inside, pull the hatch shut and turn the valve 90 degrees counterclockwise.] Carth nodded and complied.

[There should be a red handle near the inner hatch.] Tolrik continued [Push it down, and when the light indicator on top goes green, you can remove your suits.]

Once inside, Revan commed Tolrik "How long until the med teams can reach us?" he asked nervously

[All depends on how long it takes for the repair droids to complete assembly of the connection tube.] Tolrik sighed [It could be anywhere from 40 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the damage to the emergency bulkhead we're trying to attach the tube to.] The connection tube was a large hollow pipe that was being assembled from an airlock in an adjacent module that would connect with the damaged Entertainment module, allowing med teams and repair teams to safely enter the module.

Armed with wrist lights and arm consoles, the two friends advanced slowly and cautiously through the unlit corridors.

"My scanner's picking up heat signatures just up ahead." Carth murmured. Revan glanced at his own console's map and saw the same thing. "According to the schematics, ahead was where the cantina should have been, but I can't really tell with all that rubble."

"Jolee? Mission? Canderous?" Revan called out cautiously.

"Well, about time you showed up! We've been sitting here twiddling our fingers for the past two hours!" Jolee called back. His voice was faint and muffled.

"Where exactly are you?" Carth asked "Our scanners aren't exact, they only give the general location!" Revan ignored him and closed his eyes.

_"Feel the Force around you. Hear the agony and life. Take strength from it." Kreia murmured long ago._

Revan opened his eyes and indicated a large slab of durasteel to their right. "They're trapped behind there." He said confidently.

"Forget about using your lightsaber!" Jolee warned "We already tried that! The entire area was made with some sort of cortorsis weave alloy-"

"Step away from the door!" Revan warned. Total mental focus was needed for this next task. As silence set in, Revan briefly closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He could "see" the slab, all of its crystalline molecules arranged in a hexagonal pattern. _I am the Force, the Force is me_, he said in his mind. He had located the one molecule supporting all of the others. Standing up, he breathed deeply several times, and then struck out with his right hand. "What are you-" Carth exclaimed.

The moment Revan's fingers made contact with the slab; he released a massive amount of Force energy into the molecule. Carth watched with wonder as hairline cracks appeared all over the slab before it shattered in thousands of small fragments.

"Shatterpoint…I'd never imagined I would have actually seen it in action…" Jolee murmured once the dust had cleared. "Even the mightiest of stones and the strongest of armors bend down before Shatterpoint."

"Handy weapon." Canderous agreed gruffly "But I still think a lightsaber doesn't compare with a good ol' fashion repeating blaster rifle."

"Blaster rifles can't deflect bolts." Revan chided jokingly

"But lightsabers can't deflect everything at once." Canderous stated solemnly "If a Jedi or Sith were to be up against a force of, say six repeating blaster rifle wielding opponents, they couldn't deflect all of the blaster bolts."

**Resident Module R-56**

"And there was no sign of Juhani?" The crew was eating in one of the three apartments that made up complex G3. Juhani had been missing for days now, the only sign of her being several scraps of her skin and clothing where the medical droids assumed she had been thrown after the explosion. After that, they said that she had run off toward the docking bay, but with the smoke and fire damage done to the module, they had lost all trace of her twenty feet from her landing spot.

"I called in a few favors." Jolee admitted "An old friend of mine knows this guy who works docking bay security at a space station orbiting Werncin III. Apparently, he heard tales of some 'crazy Jedi' who was hunting this group of bounty hunters. Didn't get much detail, but the guys on the station described her as a 'pale cat-faced bitch'. According to him, one of them said that to her and got a full facial reconstruction in return." The others chuckled. Never mess with a mad angry Cathar.

"So she's gone after the bounty hunters?" Bastila asked, sending the conversation spiraling downward.

"So it seems." Carth sighed "Damn you Juhani! You probably did this on purpose, running off like that and leaving us here to fret over your fate!"

"Juhani's a wise and strong Jedi Knight." Revan reminded them "I say we let her disappear for a while, you know, let her bash some skulls, get information, do some soul-searching. She's been through a lot with the destruction of _both_ Cathar and Taris." At this, he, Zaalbar, Mission, Bastila, and Carth looked guiltily at each other. After all, it _had_ been their fault that Malak had chosen to take his anger out on the entire planet after failing to find them. T3 on the other hand, whistled happily and made note that _he_ wasn't responsible for anything. All he had done was get Revan and Bastila into the Sith base.

"I agree with Revan." Everyone turned to face Jolee. "Juhani needs time to reflect on the destruction of Taris and Cathar. Our recent adventures have most likely placed a great deal of stress on her. Let her track down the smugglers, spend a few months meditating, and then when she comes back, greet her with open arms."


	7. Chapter 7: Teyan Revelation

This took me a while to upload, as I had graduation and such.

Thanks for realizing my mistake XX28.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

In orbit of Teyan Jedi Praxeum, Teja IV, two weeks later**

Carth sat in the communications room of the _Ebon Hawk_. "Alright, let's see what this is all about." Glancing around him to make sure no one was watching from the door, he initiated a search in one of the computer consoles. "Authorization access code: Morgana_Onasi 52-H34."

[Access granted. Welcome to the Jedi Archives Captain Onasi.]

"What are you hiding Revan?" Carth muttered. Four days after the incident on Citadel Station, Revan had told the crew to pack up and that they were headed for the Teyan Jedi Praxeum without telling them why. However, upon reaching the Praxeum, the ship's scanners picked up massive damage to the exterior of the Temple and the area around it. After dropping off Revan and the others on the surface, Carth and T3-M4 had flown the _Ebon Hawk_ into orbit to monitor the team and to be an escape method should the others encounter any problems.

The drone sound of electronic tread wheels made Carth wheel around, Onasi blaster in hand, only to find T3-M4, who gave him a curious _bloooo_ upon seeing the weapon.

"It's just you." Carth smiled, holstering the weapon. T3 tilted his head and gave a long series of curious whistles and beeps.

"No no, I'm just accessing the Jedi Archives Mainframe. You know, to find out what significance this place has. Why are we here?"

T3 gave an amused chirp and uttered a single beep. _[Jedi]_

**Teyan Jedi Praxeum**

"Something's not right…"

[Statement: That is the twenty-seventh time you have uttered that statement Master. Query: Might I ask what is wrong? Rhetorical Statement: Of course, If you say that something is not right, then it would be logical to just ask what it is, instead of asking what is wrong, as you have already stated tha-]

"Just shut up you stupid assassin droid!"

[Shocked statement: Master, I must protest! That Twi'lek whore just called me…]

"I BEG YOUR PARDON!"

"Will you children stop jabbering and focus on the main problem: Where is everyone?"

"Well maybe, if _someone _didn't decide to leave Teethreeon the ship…_cough_…Bastila, he could have used his beam light to let us actually see something."

"Shut up!" Revan dragged a flare along the corridor wall, lighting it and illuminating the passageway ahead. And the tens of bodies of dead instructors and younglings.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Mission said nervously, drawing her blaster pistol as Zaalbar unclipped his bowcaster from his back. Suddenly, the flare went out.

Revan activated one of his lightsabers. Its cyan-silver blade illuminated the passage ahead. "Stay together." He murmured to his crew. Then he commed Carth "Come in Carth, do you read me?"

"Barely" came the voice of Carth Onasi "There's a lot of static. Something's trying to jam our comlinks. I'm using up most of the ship's power just to create a passage through the block."

"We've just come across the bodies of several of the instructors and younglings." Revan murmured. Carth cursed. "Prepare to bring the Ebon Hawk in when I give the signal." Revan ordered "Until then, stay low. Whoever is blocking our channel might not have detected the _Hawk_ yet, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Got it Revan…hold on…I've received a distress signal from inside one of the Praxeum's classrooms. A group of twenty or so Jedi instructors are still alive. They're with the surviving younglings. All of the Jedi Knights assigned to protect the Praxeum were killed."

"Copy that." Revan noted. His mind wandered back to a conversation he had had with Master Dorak over the Holonet just after the Citadel Station incident.

_Revan motioned for Dorak to remain silent "I ask for your silence my former Master" he said quietly "This is something I must find out for myself without the Jedi or the Republic interfering" Dorak nodded knowingly. "It is possible" he suggested, a dangerous theory forming in his mind "that the last Sith Lord was able to rebuild the Sith Empire with him as Emperor, though I shudder to think of it as reality. Of course, with our limited knowledge of the Unknown Regions and Wild Space, we can never really be sure of its existence."_

_ "This would explain your unexplained voyage into the Unknown Regions" Dorak continued "Did you find something at Malachor V? That was one of the Sith training grounds during the reign of Naga Sadow."_

_Revan nodded grimly "More and more of my memories come back each day. I fear that I did indeed go searching for the Sith." He sighed "But I think that I came back to conquer the galaxy and place it under one banner. That way, we would have been ready for a Sith invasion."_

"_While your method was unorthodox and sadly flawed" Dorak said, shaking his head "I admire your motive. Indeed, after the betrayal of Exar Kun, the Mandalorian Wars, and the ongoing Jedi Civil War, we would be ill-prepared for such a threat. I'll keep searching the Archives for more information. I have a feeling if the Sith are back, then you would be wise to avoid any…_extreme_ stunts if you get my meaning."_

_**Later that day, Revan had gone to visit Bastila. "Why were you on Tatooine?" he asked her. Revan had checked the ship's log and found, to his surprise, that the ship had taken a detour to Tatooine. "I thought you were on Alderaan." He continued**_

"_**I was, and I finished there." Bastila replied calmly "I just…had some things to take care of."**_

"_**Mind telling me what exactly?" Revan asked. Bastila just shook her head.**_

"_**Maybe later." She finally said.**_

Movement up ahead alerted Revan. "Sith!" he roared, cleaving a Sith Lord waiting in ambush behind a pillar in half. Zaalbar and Canderous uttered their challenge cries, and dashed into the ambush party of Sith. Bastila and Mission teamed up and began methodically taking down Sith. Jolee unleashed a blast of Force lightning at a group of incoming Sith, sending them flying back into the lightsabers of their companions.

Their ambush a complete failure, the Sith party turned tail and ran…right into the waiting lightsabers of the surviving Jedi. The few Sith who broke through their line kept on running.

"We picked up a transmission from a damaged cargo transport." Jedi Master Feran, a Selkath female said to Revan "Turns out it was a trap. The minute the transport landed inside the hangar, Sith began pouring out like gizka. Those of us who didn't run were cut down."

"These Sith bear the markings of the Sith Academy." Jolee said softly. "Their movements and armor are very much like the Sith we fought in Dreshdae." Revan nodded grimly.

"I think that it's time we paid Dreshdae one last visit…"

* * *

Note: The next chapter will be the campaign against the Sith Academy on Korriban. Revan will lead an army of Jedi and Republic forces and well...you'll just have to wait and see!


	8. Chapter 8: The Siege of Dreshdae

And thus begins the Battle of Korriban!

This also is the first and probably only mention of Darth Sion, as he is major to the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II- The Sith Lords, and doesn't play much of a role in my story.

Thanks to the author of "Shadows & Light", the short graphic novel revealing the details of Guun Han Saresh, Duron Qel-Droma, and Shaela Nuur.

This will also mark the beginning of a common theme for the first part of my story: The Sith history. We now have visited Korriban, but Ziost and Malachor V await!

I own nothing!

**

* * *

One week later**

**Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

"You suggest a frontal assault on Korriban?" Master Zhar asked.

"Yes Master. What Sith that are left have become bold since their defeat in the Rakata system. Taking out Korriban would eliminate this threat." Revan explained.

"Going down this path would be dancing with the dark side." Lonna Vash noted "What would be your suggested strategy? How many Jedi and ships must be diverted from our recovery efforts to eliminate the Sith?"

"Masters, with all due respect, the Jedi Order is at its darkest hour since Exar Kun. The Sith constantly murder our brothers and sisters, good Jedi, those who would give their lives for the Republic. I understand the importance of rebuilding the Republic, but my plan would only require a small armada, maybe five _Hammerhead_-class capital ships. As for the Jedi, we have thousands training in the Temple and in enclaves across the galaxy, doing nothing. I could lead an army of 200 along with a small armada and take out the Sith on Korriban, and hopefully, recapture the planet and recover artifacts that we could study."

Surprisingly, it was Master Vrook who stepped in for Revan "While his past actions can be called into question, the Prodigal Knight is correct. Not too long ago, we faced a threat in the form of Haazen, which resulted in the loss of many of our Jedi Knights…and Lucien Draay. If the Sith should regroup on Korriban, they would try and launch another assault. I for one will never let that happen. We failed to protect Dantooine, but we can protect the rest of the Republic if we strike early. I will lead this attack."

"With all due respect Master Vrook, you've never been inside of the Academy." Revan pointed out "All of my crew, save for Bastila, ventured inside at some point in time. I should be the one to lead this assault."

"An assault not agreed upon yet" Vandar pointed from his position sitting cross-legged on his chair. Turning to face Jolee, who stood with Bastila guarding the doors, he said, "Padawan Bindo, contact Supreme Chancellor Cressa and Admiral Dodonna."

"_This is quite a surprising move Prodigal Knight_." Two shimmering holograms stood in the center of the Council Chambers. "_A direct assault against Korriban would take at least a large battle fleet to be successful, but I'm afraid that the task force we sent to the Star Forge is the only fleet available, and it is currently undergoing repair and refit. The assault would have to occur after at least a month and a half_."

"_I approve of the Prodigal Knight's proposal_" Cressa said, scratching his chin "_To me, it seems like part of his attempt to find redemption and to atone for his crimes. And destroying the Sith would save countless lives, both Jedi and Republic. I give my full consent for the operation. So, with that, let us begin Operation Recovery!_"

**Two months later,**

**Korriban**

Five _Hammerhead_-class capital ships and twelve _Foray_-class blockade runners dropped into the atmosphere of Korriban. "Attention Sith, this is the warship _Dominion_ of the Republic Navy! Power down your weapons and prepare to surrender." Admiral Dodonna said into the comm.

"Admiral, I'm reading increased power input on those laser turrets surrounding Dreshdae and the nearby settlements." Carth Onasi warned from the cockpit of the _Ebon Hawk_.

"I'd hoped to take Dreshdae without civilian casualties" Dodonna sighed wearily "But we gave them a choice. Captain Derem, order the ships to begin firing on Dreshdae's cannon emplacements." Derem nodded "All vessels, fire a spread of proton torpedoes and concussion missiles on hostile ground artillery. Friendlies will be mixed with hostiles at Sector 35, so aim carefully!"

The capital ships began unleashing a hail of fire down on Dreshdae as the _Ebon Hawk_, followed by a flock of A-wings (Aurek tactical strikefighters), S-250 _Chela_-class starfighters, and twelve _Ministry_-class orbital shuttles dove through the atmosphere like an army of flaming swords.

Revan adjusted his combat backpack and utility belt as he looked at the assembled Jedi in the _Ebon Hawk_'s Main Hold.

"I know that this day will be the last for some of you" he sighed wearily "But today will be remembered throughout the history of the Jedi Order! Dead or not, you will have sacrificed everything to free Korriban from the Sith! We have let the Sith exist too long. They have provoked us, killed our brothers and sisters, but I say no more! Savor the sweet air while you can! Fight for all you are worth! For I say: Today, the tyranny of the Sith shall be ended!" The Jedi roared in agreement, some saluting Revan with their lightsabers. Bastila and Jolee watched from the passageway to the cockpit.

"And so it begins…" Bastila murmured. She gripped the wall as the ship was rocked by flak and missiles detonating all around them.

**Dreshdae settlement, Korriban**

As the _Ebon Hawk_ went screaming through the atmosphere, its loading ramp lowered. "You have one chance to make the jump!" Revan roared over the wind "Deploy your chutes no sooner than 1500 feet! See you on the ground!" With that, he pulled his body-glove's hood over his head and put his pressure helmet on. Zaalbar gave him the thumbs up and Revan leaped into open space. Bastila and Jolee were next, and dove out of the ship, two dark blue specks amongst the orange clouds.

**Command center, Dreshdae Settlement**

"Sir, we've picked up at least twenty humanoids combat-dropping through the atmosphere." A Sith soldier reported to the commander.

"Order the light laser batteries to wipe them out." The commander just said, returning his attention to the 3-D holographic map showing the Republic cruisers descending on Dreshdae.

6000….5000…4500…Revan grimaced as the wind tore at his body. He was approaching the energy shield protecting Dreshdae and other settlements from orbital bombardment. Luckily, solid objects, like proton torpedoes, concussion missiles, and a human being, were able to pass through…though with the side effect of feeling like you had run through a duracrete wall.

Revan's armor cushioned most of the blow, but he was still getting one heck of a beating. The Sith had taken notice of the Jedi and laser fire was exploding all around the Jedi. Luckily, the cannons didn't aim well at rapidly moving targets. Revan winced as a lucky shot hit a female Zabrak Jedi, halting her descent before she went speeding downward, screaming all the while, before impacting on the planet's surface.

"The _Ebon Hawk_'s nearing Dreshdae." Carth reported to Revan over his suit's communications system. Revan would have liked to respond, but the wind and Gs bashing against him reduced him to responding with light signals controlled by a remote in his hand.

3000….2000…1750…1500…"Deploy chutes!" Parachutes popped out of the Jedi's combat backpacks like large overturned bowls. However, this made them a larger target, and several of the chutes were torn apart by the laser cannons. Luckily, Revan had foreseen this and had come up with another plan. The Jedi whose chutes were destroyed detached them from their backpacks and activated the jetpack thrusters in the bottom.

With a loud "_oomph_!" Revan and the strike team landed in one of Dreshdae's open-roof docking bays. Hearing the noise of turning gears, he turned his head just in time to see the bay's armored doors shutting. Not wasting a second, Revan unclipped his chute and activated his lightsaber, cutting a large rectangle into one of the bay's walls. He pulled out the newly carved block with the Force, and leaped inside.

"This looks like one of Dreshdae's residential complexes." Jolee muttered as he joined Revan in the corridor. "I remember it from our last visit."

The strike team had barely enough time to recover from their frightening combat drop, as Sith soldiers and Dark Jedi poured into the corridor from both ends, unleashing a torrent of blaster fire. Revan through Jolee back out into the bay with the Force before hurling five plasma grenades into the oncoming Sith. Leaping out of the hole, Revan and two Nautolan Jedi shoved the block back into place while a Whiphid sealed the block back in with a plasma torch.

"Dive for cover!" Revan warned, as the grenades detonated. The sealed block held in the initial shockwave, but the explosion that followed suit tore it open and released a searing blast of fire that shot out of the opening.

[Ebon Hawk, this is the _Dominion_. Revan's strike force has landed in one of Dreshdae's docking bays. Set your shuttles down beside it. Send the fighters to begin bombardment of nearby settlements.] Captain Derem ordered.

"Acknowledged." Carth replied "Blue Squadron; begin your attack run on the nearby settlements. Rebel Squadron will attempt to bring the settlement's main generator offline. That should take out the shield generator and at least some of the weapons systems."

"Almost done…" Revan commented as he desperately tried to slice into the computer console controlling the door mechanism for the docking bays. "There! Perfect!" He roared triumphantly, raising his fist in the air. Then the doors opened and in came six Sith Acolytes.

"On second thought…" Jolee groaned, activating his green lightsaber. The three Jedi Consulars in the group raised their open palms and Force shoved the Sith back through the door. The rest of the Jedi activated their blades in a brilliant display of green, blue, and yellow, before charging the downed Sith.

Elsewhere, the _Ebon Hawk_, followed by two _Ministry_-class orbital shuttles, was circling Dreshdae, ready to drop off the next group of Jedi. "Remember, this is our last drop off, so we'll be jumping off as the Hawk comes in to land!" Master Zhar Lestin to the assembled Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers roared over the howling wind. "_We're coming in near Revan's position!_" Carth reported, firing off two proton torpedoes at a Sith turret.

As the ship closed the distance to the docking bay, the boarding ramp lowered. "Now!" Zhar roared. The Jedi strike team leaped out of the descending ship and landed on the upper hull of Dreshdae. Activating their lightsabers, Ken Algwinn and Deesra Luur Jada; Dorak's apprentice and the next in line to be Jedi Historian; cut a hole into the roof and leaped inside. The first thing they saw were the dismembered corpses of Sith and Jedi alike.

"Revan's already been here." Zhar said grimly as he leaped down to join them. "Alright, Master Qual, you will take Yuthura, Mekel, and Canderous and try and take over the security center. Vrook, take half of our remaining forces and clear out the Czerka complex of any Sith. The other half will try and take out the security grid protecting the planet from orbital bombardment. Zaalbar, Mission, and Dustil will come with me, as well as Carth once he catches up. We're going to go and help Revan. Good luck!"

**Sith Academy entrance from Dreshdae, Korriban**

The two Sith guarding the door watched in confusion as a cloaked figure advanced on them, followed by an HK-series assassin droid and a T3-series astromech droid. "Halt!" One of the Sith ordered, raising his blaster. The stranger raised his head. His face was obscured by a black Mandalorian visor. "Darth Revan?..." One of the Sith asked. The stranger responded by activating an orange lightsaber "You will be spared if you leave now." He said. The two Sith just scoffed. "So this is the former Dark Lord, betrayer of his own followers? No thanks."

"You were given a chance…" Revan just said, slicing them both open before they could move "…yet you ignored it while you could." T3-M4 whistled and the Jedi in hiding leaped out from behind the rocks.

Together, Revan and Bastila activated their lightsabers and began to cut through the armored doors of the academy…only to have their lightsaber blades short out the moment they burrowed into the door. "Pure cortorsis alloy." Revan cursed "At its full potency, cortorsis has been known to short out our lightsabers." With a look of disgust, he clipped _Heart of the Guardian_ back onto his belt and retrieved _Mantle of the Force_. Bastila clipped her double-bladed lightsaber back onto her belt and retrieved her single-hilted yellow blade. Noticing Revan's curious stare, she asked "What?'

_ The flash of light and the Dark Jedi's scream as Bastila cut through him with her single-hilted blade. Revan scoffed and stabbed the Republic soldier he had been holding hostage before raising his blade in the Ataru stance. "You cannot win Revan!" Bastila warned as her Jedi strike team advanced._

"That was the blade you used when you captured me" Revan said slowly. Bastila nearly collapsed with shock as she took in his words.

"Uh guys, marital discussion later, blast bad guys now?" Revan and Bastila turned around to find Mission, Zaalbar, Master Zhar and Vrook, Dustil, and Carth running up.

"Nice to see you again Dustil" Revan smiled. Carth and Zaalbar ran past the group and began setting plasma mines in strategic locations around the entrance. "We've got ten seconds!" Carth warned "Move it people, now would be a good time!" The Jedi realized the depth of the Republic pilot's words and dived for cover.

An earth-shocking _**BOOM**_ followed by several large flashes of light knocked the strike team off their feet. Revan groaned as the air rushed back into his lungs. But he didn't have any time to recuperate, for as the dust settled, Sith warriors and troopers poured out of the Academy. They stopped short just outside the entrance. Revan picked himself up and, followed by the Jedi and Republic troopers, faced the Sith students.

The lead Sith, a cloaked man wearing a polished black helmet with eye slits, activated his red double-bladed lightsaber. "So, you are Revan." He scoffed.

"And who are you?" Revan shot back.

"I am Vincaros, head of this Academy." Vincaros sneered "And you are a poor excuse for a Sith Lord, a failed Jedi" At this, Bastila leaped forward to attack him only to be blasted back by Force lightning. "And did I mention horrible as a lov…" He never finished his last sentence, for Revan had flung _Mantle of the Force_ at him, wounding Vincaros in the chest, leaving a deep gash. "Never make the mistake of monologing…or insulting Bastila Shan." Revan sneered. The other Sith shook their shock at their leader's sudden demise off and charged the Jedi.

"Hold the line and provide cover fire!" Carth ordered the Republic troopers. They unleashed a wave of red blasterfire at the Sith students, some of who deflected it while others fell victim to the deadly bolts.

Revan unleashed a Force Wave at the first wave of oncoming Sith, knocking them off their feet. Bastila, and Dustil wasted no time, and swiftly began executing the downed Sith.

Many of the Jedi Knights had not sparred with lightsabers outside of the arena, and almost none had faced Sith before. Revan watched in dismay as many of the younger Knights and Padawans were cut down by the ruthless Sith. Then he saw Vincaros, glancing furtively behind him, escaping back into the safety of the Academy. Both Jolee and Bastila saw as well. "Mine!" Revan roared, Force-leaping over the heads of the combatants and landing behind the Sith forces. Slicing open two Sith troopers like stuffed toys, he charged inside of the Academy.

The adrenaline pumping through him, Revan charged through the entrance corridor of the Academy, slaughtering any Sith who got in his way. Most fled at the terrible visage of the Prodigal Knight.

Revan stopped in the central chamber. He glanced around, and saw Vincaros disappear into the passageway to the Archives and Armory. Flashing a smile of victory, Revan Force-pushed the double-doors open and continued his pursuit of the Sith.

The Sith defense force, now only numbered up to fifteen Sith Acolytes, found themselves pressed up against the Academy entrance by the Jedi strike team. Bastila began a furious flurry assault, mortally wounding two more Sith before the remaining Sith put down their weapons in surrender. "Master Zhar, you and Master Vrook stay here with the remaing Jedi Knights and Padawans. The rest of us will continue into the Academy."

Zhar was about to object when he realized Bastila's true meaning. _Revan was inside, and his slaughter would do no good for the young Jedi to witness_. Nodding curtly, he proceeded to collect the Sith's lightsabers while the Jedi Knights put them not-so-gently in stun-cuffs.

"Well, at least we know which way Revan went!" Mission said brightly, before putting her head down again once the others glared at her. Their trail to Revan was marked by the mangled corpses and groaning bodies of the Sith students and instructors. As they reached the central chamber, Bastila felt the danger through the Force, but it was too late.

The doors to the dormitories flew open and the Sith students waiting in ambush charged out and slaughtered the Republic soldiers before they could do anything. Bastila and the rest of the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ formed a protective circle around the wounded remaining troopers, while Canderous and Zaalbar ripped through their ranks like twin whirling swords.

Revan shielded his eyes as he walked out of the cool and dark Academy into the harsh sunlight that penetrated the Valley of the Dark Lords. He removed his mask and cloak, and stuffed them into his combat backpack before continuing his pursuit. Memories seemed to come back to him like the dust he stirred up as he followed Vincaros' footprints and blood trail.

_Dak Vesser, the Sith student and former Jedi who had a crush on Juhani. I killed him in the cantina. Blood is on my hands_

_Lashowe, the Sith student who occupied a bunk near me. We had a rivalry. We fought together against the tuk'ata and then I killed her. Yet another death on my hands._

_Yuthura Ban. My Sith Master and would-have-been-lover on Korriban should I have gone down the dark side. What would have happened had I not redeemed her?_

_Galon Lor, not a bad Sith really, just misguided. An eager student whose loyalties were in the wrong place. I had to kill him when he realized I was not Sith. How many did I kill in my quest for the Star Forge for my own gain? Was it my own gain?_

Two Sith Apprentices were on guard duty by the tall fallen statue that marked the entrance to the Valley of the Dark Lords. Revan watched them from behind the cliff wall, obscured from their view. "Vincaros said that Revan was after him, but I don't see him." One of them finally said.

"I know…wait, what was that?" He pointed to where he had just seen what seemed to be a dark object moving.

"Probably your imagination…" Revan leaped out of his hiding spot. Summoning Force energy into his raised right arm, he unleashed a powerful Force Wave directed at the two Sith, which collided with them and threw them up into the fallen statue, after which they slid to the ground unconscious.

"Now, where are you hiding?" Revan said with a satisfied grin, scouring over the valley floor, looking for some evidence of Vincaros' tracks. Then he looked at the tomb of Naga Sadow. "Well, why not?" Revan shrugged, walking under the overhang of stone and weeds that was above the double stone doors, still open from when Revan had killed Master Uthar Wynn.

As for the Sith himself, his rotting corpse greeted Revan with its ever-grinning skull smile. At some point in time, the Sith had dragged their Master to the tomb entrance corridor but for some reason had left him there.

Passing the junction, Revan carefully walked over the frozen toxin river. Although it had been strong enough to hold three lightsaber wielding combatants at one point, time and heat had eroded the ice. As he trudged toward the burial chambers, Revan's foot came into contact with something. Picking it up, he discovered it was a piece of red-and-black cloth. Removing his heavy gauntlets, Revan hesitantly touched the fabric. The moment his flesh made contact with it, he felt his body go through an overload of Force energy and blacked out…

…"…_I love you too…" Shaela Nuur whispered as she buried her head into the mangled chest of her former lover, Duron Qel-Droma and began to sob uncontrollable…_

…_finishing the final entry she knew she would write in her datapad, Shaela closed it and pocketed it. Ahead was the room where the terenterak that had killed Duron, and its mate were located. Her thoughts filled with anger, Shaela opened the doors and activated her orange lightsaber. Not ten feet closer to her destination, the blade flickered. Once…twice…three times before finally dying completely. Only now, as the terenterak closed in for the kill, did she remember Master Odd Bnar's words when he gave her the Solari crystal. "_You will accomplish great things in your lifetime, Shaela Nuur, of that I am sure…just remember to always stay in the light. Always_.__"The crystal had sensed her shift to the dark side and had gone dormant._

_40 years later, a young Jedi Padawan still reeling from a shocking identity crisis, entered the same chamber. He had already been to Kashyyyk and the Shyrack Caves, finding the remains of Guun Han Saresh and Duron Qel-Droma. Now, after slaying the two terenterak, did he find the bones of Shaela Nuur. Near her body, he finds her datapad. Her last entry chills him to the bone:_

I have tracked the terentatek that ambushed us in the Shyrack caves to this tomb, but even as I stand at the entrance I know this is wrong. Dark thoughts fill my mind: hatred and vengeance. I cannot stop myself from blaming Guun Han for Duran's death. If he had not abandoned us, my love would surely have survived the terentatek's first attack. But my hatred of Guun Han pales beside my burning desire for revenge. My blood boils to destroy the creature that ended Duran's life, no matter what the cost. I know such thoughts are those of the dark side, but I cannot help them. Even the second set of tracks outside the cave cannot dissuade me from my task. One terentatek, two, a thousand... it makes no difference to me now. The only image I see is that of Duran's broken body, and only blood can cleanse it from my mind. I hope my Master will forgive me for what I am about to do.

_The Jedi shivered and pocketed the datapad. Continuing into the next room, he found what he was looking for: The Star Map. But his trials in the tomb were far from over…_

Revan fell backwards, his hand feeling like it had been scorched. Shaela's demise was something that he had managed to figure out during his first visit, but he had never known the exact details of her death. _To lose so much and to have fallen so far_…Would he or Bastila have done what Shaela had done had they lost one another to the dark void of death?

"Ahh look…one Jedi mourning another. Well, you're about to join her." Revan whipped around and activated _Mantle of the Force_, which he then brought down onto Vincaros' crimson blade. "Die already!" Revan snarled, Force-shoving Vincaros into the wall. Rubble and roots rained down on the Sith Acolyte, who barely had time to leap out of the way before they crashed through the floor. With a mighty roar, Vincaros unleashed a blast of Force lightning at Revan, who absorbed the energy into his own body before releasing it as a Force Wave, which not only blew Vincaros off his feet and into the corridor leading to the Star Map room, but it also collided with the stone walls, which cracked and let loose rubble under the intense energy output.

Vincaros, with a deep chest wound, shattered ribs, and a smashed jaw, somehow managed to heave himself up before running away from Revan through the passage. Not giving his enemy a chance to recover, Revan ran into the corridor.

Vincaros had barely stepped foot into the Star Map Room, barely saw with shock what truly lay in Naga Sadow's tomb, before Revan full-body-tackled him. Both men flew into the Star Map's base, heaving themselves up and dizzy from hitting the hard metal base. Revan had knocked Vincaros' lightsaber out of his hand when he hit him with the Force Wave, but he had torn his lightsaber from his belt when he tackled Vincaros.

"Well, now it's just the two of us then." Vincaros sneered, spitting out blood and gore "No lightsabers, just two gentlemen." Revan snorted with contempt and kicked out at Vincaros. The battered Sith Acolyte just laughed and unclipped the collapsible Long Staff he wore from his belt. Revan laughed and unsheathed his plasma torch from its sheath. Although Vincaros had the larger weapon, Revan had improved his plasma torch, and it now had a dual-function, doubling as a _very_ short lightsaber stub. In one swipe, Revan had cleaved the durasteel staff in two. However, this only provided Vincaros with two weapons, and he now knew to avoid the plasma torch's tip. He needn't worry, for the strike had shorted out the plasma torch, which Revan replaced with disgust before drawing his vibrodagger.

Revan stabbed at Vincaros, who easily parried the blade with one half of the pole while boxing Revan on the head with the other. Snarling, Revan head-butted Vincaros in the stomach, knocking the air out of him in one big _WHOOOOSH_, before flipping backwards and standing at the ready.

Elsewhere, Bastila, Jolee, and Dustil ran through one of the many passageways of the Sith Academy. After dealing with the Sith assault force, the group had split up, combing the area for any remaining Sith or any sign of Revan.

"Heads up!" Dustil warned, activating his yellow blade and blocking the Sith waiting in ambush's swipe that would have bisected Jolee. The Sith, hiding behind the columns that jutted out of the corridor walls, realized their ambush was a disaster and charged the three Jedi.

Mission, Zaalbar, and Canderous found themselves in a similar situation with the Republic soldiers they were leading. Canderous snapped a Sith's neck and took his lightsaber for himself, before using it to parry another Sith's strike against a wounded Republic soldier.

Zaalbar roared and picked up two Sith like ragdolls before hurling them into the wall. Hearing a scream, he turned and saw Mission kneeling on the floor, her right arm lying a few feet away where a Sith had sliced it off. Upon seeing the blood beginning to seep out of the wound, Zaalbar went into a mad frenzy, tearing into Sith with his mighty claws in a mad dash to reach Mission. Canderous noticed the Wookie's plight and turned to the remaining Republic soldiers.

"Force the Sith back into one direction of the passage. That way, we won't be surrounded." He roared. The soldiers complied, and once the gunmen were a safe distance away from the melee, Canderous roared to the swordsmen. "Drop!" The soldiers dived for cover as the Republic gunmen unleashed a barrage of blasterfire at the Sith, dropping them like stones. Canderous turned and saw what remained of the other groups charge to his group's rescue. As Dustil and Jolee Force-pushed the Sith backwards, the other Jedi charged forward and wreaked havoc amongst the Sith troopers.

"We have to retreat!" Jolee roared to Bastila as he narrowly missed a blast of Force Lightning.

"We can't leave Revan!" Bastila yelled in return.

"Jolee's right. We can't hold out much longer against the full might of the Academy. I don't like leaving Revan as much as you don't Bastila, but Mission's down and we've lost over a third of our men!" Canderous roared, snapping the neck of a struggling Sith Acolyte.

"Just give me and Bastila a diversion, then get out of here!" Carth roared, stabbing another Sith in the gut. Canderous nodded grimly, knowing what the two Republic heroes were about to do. "Flash grenades!" he roared to his men. Several of them reached into their utility belts and threw five white metal spheres at the Sith.

"Duck!" Dustil warned as he and the others dived for the ground. A few seconds later, the five grenades detonated, blinding anyone who had not dived to the ground with a white flash of light. Even those who covered their eyes were partially blinded. But as soon as everyone's eyesight cleared up, the fight resumed, however, as Canderous smugly noticed, without Carth and Bastila.

Revan had lost his vibrodagger. Vincaros had snapped the blade in two, but Revan had taken one of the pole halves. Now, makeshift sword against makeshift sword, the two warriors continued to exchange blows. Their duel had taken them out of the Star Map room and back into the central chamber.

Things began to take a turn for the worse. After losing his makeshift sword to Revan, Vincaros called his lightsaber as well as Revan's from the Star Map room and chopped Revan's pole half in two. Revan dived out of the way and realized that Vincaros must have been mentally searching for his lightsaber the entire duel. However, Revan still had _Heart of the Guardian_, and was able to block Vincaros' next attack. Vincaros was more accustomed to fighting with one blade, and Revan easily recaptured his blade a few minutes into the fight.

"Admit it Revan, you cannot beat me!" Vincaros snarled, suddenly running away from Revan and out into the Valley.

Revan smiled and followed him out. "That's what Malak thought!" he shot back, emerging only to find Vincaros had vanished again. "Come out coward!" he roared. Hearing the _snap-hiss_ of a blade behind him, he rolled forward and whirled around. Vincaros leaped from his hiding place above the tomb entrance and the two of them continued their duel. "I should have been Malak's apprentice, not Bandon!" Vincaros roared "I was the better duelist!"

"And yet, he killed more Jedi!" Revan laughed manically. Suddenly, he saw two familiar figures running through the valley towards him. "Looks like your friends want to party!" Vincaros smirked "Let's give them a warm welcome, shall we?"

"Duck Bastila!" Carth warned, but it was too late. Vincaros had launched a paralysis dart from his wrist missile launcher and it had caught Bastila in the chest. She fell to the ground, conscious, but unable to move.

Upon seeing Bastila fall, a red haze of anger came over Revan. He Force-gripped Vincaros and threw him back into the tomb entrance.

"You got your warm welcome!" Revan roared "Now here's your cold farewell. You've earned yourself a _crushing_ defeat!" He shot out Force energy into the alcove above the tomb entrance and pulled down. Vincaros screamed as the entire cliff face came crashing down, crushing him like a bug.

Revan ran over to Bastila, who was moaning feebly. "I see you've ended our problems…" Carth noted, indicating the collapsed entrance to Naga Sadow's tomb. "You realize the Star Map was in there?"

"It's just a useless map now that the Star Forge is gone." Revan mumbled, gripping Bastila's hand.

"Come on" Carth said after a few moments "The others have retreated from the Academy. We can treat her later onboard the _Dominion_, but we'd better leave before the Sith come searching for Vincaros.

On top of a windy bluff overlooking the Valley of the Dark Lords, the dark figure stood watching silently. One of his eyes was milky-white and he looked like he slept with vibroblades turned to their highest frequency. "And so it begins…" he murmured.

* * *

(Sing-song like voice)_ Guess who that guy is..._


	9. Chapter 9: Tying up loose ends

With Star Wars: The Old Republic's recent addition to their Timeline series, new restrictions have popped up for those of us who have to keep their stories canonical. One: Revan has a blue lightsaber. Two: He has long brown hair and is white.

The_ Ebon Hawk_ has gone through some modifications. Some of these can be explained as the cause for all of the wreckage that T3 and 3C found in the prologue of KOTOR II.

_**

* * *

Hammerhead**_**-class Republic cruiser Dominion, in orbit of Korriban**

"How do you feel?" Revan asked. Bastila was separated from him by her med ward's thin blue curtain as a medical droid dressed her in a sea-blue robe and her blue med gown.

"Like someone froze my muscles and poured liquid carbonite through my bones." Bastila replied "Seriously Revan, I'm fine." Revan just sighed. The paralyzing agent used a small dose of Lecepanine and Nerve Toxin, not enough to kill, but enough to immobilize an opponent for a good long while. The medics had to inject her with several different antidotes and toxin neutralizers to help get the toxin out of her system. For now, although she had regained movement in her right arm, neck, and torso, she was confined to a hoverchair until the healing process was complete, which could take a couple of days even with a Jedi healing trance.

Revan walked side-by-side with Bastila down the corridor to their newly assigned quarters. "Carth took the _Ebon Hawk_ with Dustil and they're helping with the neutralization of enemy forces surrounding Dreshdae." Revan explained to Bastila. "We'll be staying in the ambassadorial quarters for a few days while they do their work."

Finally, they reached the double-doors of their quarters. "Lights" Revan said calmly as they continued inside. The chamber was illuminated by soft blue light that shown on the queen size double bed in the corner of the room. The center area was a depression that was accessible by a couple of stairs encircling it with two chairs and a holoprojector sitting on a glass table. Two storage cylinders sat on the side to hold their weapons and robes.

"This is really just a beefed up regular room" Revan noted. It was similar to his crew quarters onboard the _Endar Spire_, except the interior had been stripped out and replaced. But thinking about the _Endar Spire_ reminded him of Trask and that made him sad.

In the crew mess, Canderous and the 24th Beta Tactical Squadron hunkered down and dug into their food trays. Revan strolled in and tipped his hand in acknowledgement to Canderous, who was wearing a new suit of armor. Although Canderous had not told anyone, save for Revan, where he had gotten it, in truth, it had been from someone who claimed the title **Mand'alor**.

During the time after the skirmish in the Teyan Praxeum to the launching of the assault fleet bound for Korriban, Canderous had taken a small skiff and had begun his quest to reunite the Mandalorian clans. On a steamy jungle moon, he had stumbled across a dying Taung, the original Mandalorian species who had claimed he was the true Mandalore and that **Mandalore the Ultimate** had ursurped the title with Sith assistance. Before dying, he gave Canderous his clan and armor and asked him to use them in his quest.

Revan did not doubt his friend from the moment Canderous told him about the strange incident. HK-47 had mentioned being programmed by one of his former masters, a Mandalorian warrior, to kill the Mandalore. The Mandalorians that Revan, Canderous, and Jolee had encountered in the Shadowlands were sent there by an unknown Mandalore to test out their new stealth equipment.

As Revan sat down to enjoy his meal, Canderous got up and sat down next to him. "You realize that I will not abandon you when you leave to go off to wherever you are going _and you still won't tell me_."

Revan smiled "You will have to, my friend. This is a journey which only I can undertake."

"Well congratulations with the cunningly disguised rejection." Canderous chortled before becoming serious "If I am staying, then I won't be around for much longer. If I am to gather the Mandalorian clans and prepare for this new threat, then I mustn't dawdle."

Revan lay staring at the ceiling. Sighing, he glanced at Bastila's nude form next to him. She shifted in her sleep and moved closer to him. Smiling, Revan continued to stare at the ceiling. For once, peace had finally come to him…

_Ohhhhh no…Revan was once again walking through a grey mist, except he could see and feel hard stone under his bare feet. Feeling slender arms curl around his body from behind, he whirled around to find Bastila, nude but clothed in mist. "Remember…" she whispered before vanishing._

_ The ghostly image of Nemo, the Jedi who failed the Rakatan tests to see the Star Map, shimmered into focus. A gaping hole sat in his chest, just like Revan found him. "What happened there will always be." He said, once again speaking in riddles "Never, yet ever."_

_ Revan and Malak bowed before the hooded figure sitting on the throne. "You will go back to the Republic and be my vanguard for the eventual invasion." The figure rasped. Malak and Revan nodded and walked away. _'But I won't be your pawn'_ Revan thought _'I will conquer the Republic and prepare it for the day you arrive.'

Revan's eyes snapped open. For a moment, he could have sworn he had seen the Sith Emperor's glowing yellow eyes in the shadows of the room. Turning his head to Bastila, he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

**Dominion Medical Bay**

Mission sighed as she flexed her new mechanical arm. It was gold-plated and equipped with the latest technology…and paid for by Revan. He had been almost like a father to her since their fateful meeting on Taris. The entire crew was like a family.

"How do ya feel kid?" Mission looked up and smiled at the familiar figure of Revan.

"Well, considering my arm is bust and all, horrible…hey, you grew your hair out!" She said, giving him a hug. Revan smiled. He liked the short style of his hair, but having the long brown hair just seemed…more rebellious. "I can still fight if that's what you're asking!" Mission added, suspicious of why he was asking. Revan just smiled.

"Come on, the Republic's assembling a prefab military orbital station over Korriban. That should give us a hand in weeding out the Sith. The trouble is, while we were monitoring the siege from orbit, a fleet of what remained of the Sith armada dropped out of hyperspace and attacked the assault fleet, forcing most of our forces offplanet to help drive the Sith off." Revan explained as they walked down the corridor.

Bastila piped in. "Most of the settlements had either surrendered or switched to our side by then, but the remaining Sith used the attack to their advantage and have retaken Dreshdae and the surrounding area and have fortified it."

**Hangar 45, Sensei Station**

"…"

"Wow…"

"What did…?"

"I don't know what to say…"

[Query: Why have you gutted the _Ebon Hawk_, master?]

[Bleeeee…bloop bloop]

The assembled crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ stood on the hangar floor, staring at the tens of droids and mechanics swarming their beloved ship. The open space between the cockpit module and the port dormitory module had been fitted with a MPM (Multi-Purpose Module). Extra hull armor had been added onto the ship, but kept in line with the color scheme. The hull section in front of the place where the boarding ramp was had been fitted with a docking hatch.

The interior had been changed dramatically. The Main Hold's holoprojector had been enhanced with a 3-D map imager. Extra consoles lined the walls and several cooking units had been installed in the back. The small storage room jutting out of it now held a circular dining table and a circular seating couch. The dormitories had been expanded and had been fitted with three extra bunks each and a cargo rack had been installed over the heads of the original bunks.

"What's with the makeover?" Mission asked finally while Jolee proudly showed them the mini Data Archive he had installed in the med bay/his unofficial quarters.

"You've all probably realized that we seem to be moving around quite a lot." Revan answered "The _Ebon Hawk _needs to be prepared in case of a fight, and the other improvements are so we can last for the long journey."

The Cargo Hold had been cleared out, and prefab walls had been fitted into the hold, dividing it up into two spaces, a corridor, and access to the lower deck. One little space was Revan's office and the larger was Revan and Bastila's quarters.

"If it's the change you're worried about, don't worry." Revan reassured his crew "The MPM is detachable, and I only installed it for extra living space and storage. Other than that, the ship really hasn't changed that much." Suddenly, the alarm klaxon turned on. [**All soldiers and Jedi are to prepare for combat. Shuttles will take you to the outskirts of Dreshdae. This is it people!**]

**Republic staging area, outside of Dreshdae**

Revan paced in front of the assembled Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers. "Not so long ago, many of you were fighting against me…" he finally said slowly "…but that does not change anything. No man could be prouder to be in charge of such dedicated and loyal men." Turning to the Jedi, he took a deep breath before beginning the next part of his speech.

"I know most of you believe me to be a spineless traitor and a murderer." Revan continued "I cannot change that. Yes, I led Sith to victory. Yes, many of you lost your brother and sister Jedi to the evil that is the Sith Order, but this ends here! We must fight! We cannot depend on others to fight our fights for us, resolve our problems. It is up to you and me to end this terror. So with that, are you with me?" There was a hushed mumble of agreement.

"I said, ARE YOU WITH ME!" At this, every man present roared "YES!" The Jedi saluted him with their lightsabers.

"THEN LET'S GO CRACK SOME SITH SKULLS!" Admiral Dodonna winced for when she didn't think they could be louder, the soldiers were. "I think I lost hearing in my one good ear…" Jolee muttered to Dustil who just chuckled while the old Padawan stuffed his fingers in his ears to block out the noise.

"Begin long-range bombardment!" Admiral Dodonna ordered. Overnight, the Republic had erected several long-range missile launchers and laser cannons. Now, these potent launcher rained fire down on Dreshdae.

The _Ebon Hawk_, followed by hundreds of troop transports and A-wing fighters, swooped down over Dreshdae. The A-wings unleashed a hail of blue blasterfire while the transports and the _Hawk_ unloaded their determined and ready cargo.

There was no sneak attack this time. While the Republic soldiers engaged the Sith troopers in the streets of Dreshdae, Revan led the Jedi in a full out assault, rushing out of the settlement entrance to the Sith Academy entrance.

The assembled Sith, upon seeing the overwhelming numbers, began to lose heart. Although they did not know it, part of their fear was due to a certain brunette female Padawan sitting cross-legged on the bridge of the _Dominion_.

The two sides crashed in a mighty display of color. Revan flung _Mantle of the Force_, impaling two Sith students while he dueled with three instructors with _Heart of the Guardian_. Canderous and his Republic Shock Corp took to the sky with jetpacks and rained blasterfire down on the unprotected heads of the Sith.

Sweat poured down Revan's face as the Jedi overran the Sith's defenses and charged into the Academy. Half of the force continued deeper into the dark corridors, while the other half, led by Revan and his companions continued the charge straight into the Valley of the Dark Lords…straight into the waiting Sith ambush.

Revan snarled as the Sith launched missiles and blasterfire down on the Jedi from their positions on top of the fallen statues. Jolee gestured and turned two repeating gun emplacements toward each other, and they turned each other into smoking metal.

Jolee felt a shift in the Force and whirled around, blocking a Sith student's attack. His instincts saved his life, but not his lightsaber. Revan, seeing this, threw Jolee _Heart of the Guardian_. But Revan's distraction disrupted his concentration. Barely able to dodge

Revan winced as a Sith landed a lucky blow and left a smoking gash on his side. He could see more Sith pouring out of the open tombs. Flipping over the heads of dueling Jedi and Sith, Revan landed in the middle of a group of Jedi. "Protect me!" he ordered them. Slightly confused, the Jedi formed a protective circle around Revan.

Sitting down, Revan closed his eyes. _Feel the Force around me. I am the Force, and the Force is me. Nothing can stand against the Force…_His eyes shot open. They were glowing and blue, filled with the harmonic energy of the Force. It had built up inside of Revan, and now was too much for him to hold in.

With a roar, Revan sprang up. Holding his right hand to the sky, he unleashed a Force Storm. The tendrils of lightning shot off in three specific directions…the remaining tomb entrances. The screams of Sith were muffled as the stone collapsed on top of them. Revan smiled and grinned at Jolee. The Sith began to turn tail and run or surrender. Jolee relieved his opponent's lightsaber and returned the grin. Suddenly, Revan collapsed. Jolee just sighed and patted his captive's head a little too roughly. "That kid's going to get himself killed one day…"

* * *

Next chapter takes place a couple of days later.

This was particularly difficult to write because of the battle scene. There is only so much that one can say about fighting.

From now on, _Mantle of the Force_ will become Revan's primary lightsaber.

Please R & R!


	10. Chapter 10: Pieces of the Past

**Orbital Shipyards, Kuat**

The massive Core World of Kuat was ringed by hundreds of orbital shipyards and space stations. It was on one of these that the crew of the Ebon Hawk gathered to say goodbye.

"So I guess your time as my employer is over." Canderous chuckled sadly. Revan just smirked and shook his friend's hand.

"Call me your employer one more time, and I'll change my mind about letting you off with those fees I had to pay for you." Revan grinned. "Take care my friend."

Bastila and Carth shook Canderous' hand, Carth, albeit a little stiffly. Mission had broken down into tears while Zaalbar stood a few feet next to her, his eyes facing the heavens as he silently pleaded for the noise she was making to stop.

HK-47 and T3-M4 stood off to the side pretending that they did not know the bawling teenager. Jolee stood with them, whistling to himself. Slowly, the crew dispersed and Revan accompanied Canderous to Shuttle Bay 56.

"Consider this my good luck present and payment to you for your years as my 'employee'" Revan chuckled. Canderous just stared with his jaw hanging down at the navy blue G-Wing Shuttle. "This baby's one of the three seaters." Revan said, patting the vessel's hull fondly. "She'll serve the new **Mand'alor** well, but you might want to consider investing in some credits. That base on Dxun needs work done."

"I've already gathered several of the clans." Canderous said gruffly "I just need to send them the location of Dxun, and we can rebuild that base. Maybe we'll even be ready for the Sith attack you say is going to occur." Turning to Revan, Canderous' voice turned solemn "Should you ever need help in your journeys, the Mandalorians will be there."

"How will you guys know where I am?" Revan asked, pointing out a flaw in Canderous' vow.

"We'll just look for the biggest bounty the Exchange or the Sith post, and start from there…" Canderous snorted "Just don't think of contacting me. I'll probably be in a warzone by then."

"Where will you start?" Revan asked "The Mandalorians are scattered. There's little chance that many stuck together."

"The frontier worlds sound good." Canderous suggested. "As a soldier bidding farewell to another soldier, Die Proud, Jedi…"

A small G-wing shuttle took off from one of Kuat's orbital shipyards, and hung in low orbit as another vessel, a troop transport, took off and parked beside it. Together, they jumped to hyperspace, bringing

**Republic Military Outpost, Kuat Orbital Shipyards**

Revan glided down the hallway, his brown robes fluttering behind him as he made his way to the crew's assigned quarters. His boots made thumping noises on the hard metal floor…

_ …Revan and Malak approached the Sith Empire, their boots making thumping noises on the hard metal floor…_

…Revan's breath was quick and haggard, betraying his uneasiness…

_ …Revan's breath was quick and haggard, betraying his uneasiness as they drew nearer and nearer to the thing in the throne…_

…The dark side, the light side, what was the difference between them?...

_ …The dark side, the light side, what was the difference between them? Did it make a difference whether he would serve the Emperor or not?..._

…Why let the Mandalorians destroy the Republic?

_ …Why let the Mandalorians destroy the Republic? Would the two of them have had they known who was behind their attack? Would they have been able to not let themselves be turned by the dark side? Was this really evil?_

_** "Awaken…"**_

Revan's eyes snapped open. He was sitting in the Main Hold, and Jolee was standing in front of him, waving his arms. "And he's alive!" Jolee chortled, relieved "You have to teach me how to sleep like that!"

Revan groaned and sat up. "How long was I asleep?" he asked groggily, rubbing the sleepies from his eyes.

"Almost five hours!" Jolee exclaimed "And you slept through the din those mechanics were making while 'fixing' a shuttle. Honestly, it sounded like they were trying out for the drummer's part in a band. What a racket!"

Revan groaned and stood up. "I've got a killer backache from sitting like that for too long…" He walked into the wall headfirst and fell backwards.

"Now you're going to have a killer headache on the side…" Jolee mumbled under his breath as he levitated Revan and walked down the boarding ramp, pushing Revan in front of him like a hoversled. However, Revan smacked his head against one of the poles that lifted the ramp, and woke up. Jolee lost his concentration and dropped Revan, who hit the ramp and rolled to the floor in an undignified heap. Brushing himself off and cursing, Revan stormed out of the hangar.

Bastila sat meditating in an empty storeroom when she sensed Revan walk in and silently sit behind her. "Your thoughts betray your feelings…" She said without opening her eyes.

"Yah, well right now, my feelings are to throw Jolee off the next cliff we see." Revan grumbled, using the Force to block out the pain in his head and torso "Or a sarlacc…it doesn't really make a difference."

"Talk like that could be misinterpreted as that of a madman." Bastila chuckled. Revan was silent. Opening her eyes, Bastila turned around and saw Revan deep in meditation. Careful not to distract him, she tiptoed silently and sat next to him. She could see glimpses of what he saw through their bond.

_ …Walking down a long metal gangway…a dark figure in a throne at the end…tubing and consoles lining the walls of the room…dark cloaked figures…yellow eyes gleaming in the eyes of the thing in the throne…_

Revan began to whimper and shake. Bastila immediately cut off her connection to his vision and held him in her arms as he began to weep. Whatever he had witnessed, be it his past or some sinister future, she knew she had to stand by him.

**Anchorhead, Tatooine**

Night fell over Anchorhead. On other worlds, it meant peace and solitude as the inhabitants drifted off to sleep. Not on Tatooine. Crime was at its highest when the sun went down, and gang wars erupted all around the city.

In the midst of all this commotion, a small _Dynamic_-class freighter flew down, landing in a Czerka docking bay. The dock officer winced as whoever was piloting the vessel overshot his landing and scraped against the walls of the bay before finally resting down.

"And that makes fifteen maintenance bills due to the great Carth Onasi! Let's give him a…"

"Mission…I will personally make sure your life turns into hell should you mention _that one more time_…"

"Wow…So Mission, how many times has Dad crashed the ship?"

"Stay out of this Dustil!"

Revan sighed and shoved Carth aside from the console. "Czerka dock officer, this is _Dynamic_-class light freighter _Ebon Hawk_ berthing in our reserved docking bay." He said into the comm.

"_Ebon Hawk_, please transmit your registry number and cargo to the Czerka office." The dock officer replied.

"Registry 34-P7JK. A squad of Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers to help with the increasing crime while you pull out." Revan responded.

"Ok…wait…ohhh…Hello again Milo. Sorry, didn't recognize your voice." The dock officer apologized.

"It's ok, I'm almost a new man now…" Revan replied. _Yah, definitely a new man…_

"It's great you arrived when you did. The locals' reaction to our pulling out was destructive to say the least…"

Like any other desert planet, Tatooine was blistering hot during the day and freezing cold during the night. Zaalbar strutted along, laughing inside as the others followed him, some of them shivering. "Alright, Czerka's set aside several apartments for your team to set up base in Sergeant." Carth explained to the leader of the Republic squad. "The Jedi Knights will assist with security and set up."

As Carth left to help the Republic/Jedi team set up their base of operations, Revan led the rest of the crew to gather supplies and relax. He smiled as Dustil, who was chatting with Kel and Yuthura, tripped over a supply crate and fall into a pile of Bantha dung. With the permission of the Jedi Council, Revan had been allowed to take the three former Sith as new crew personnel, not only to help them with their process of rejoining the light side, but to also, at least in Revan's opinion, remind him to stay in the light.

"Your 'informant' told us to meet him in the cantina." Bastila reminded him as they walked around a corner. "Who is he?"

"One of many friend of a friend that I have made." Revan simply replied before ushering both Carth and her inside the cantina door.

The familiar music of the cantina reached Revan's ears. Bastila's eyes were fixed on a specific corner of the room. In the corner was the same table that Bastila's mother Helena had occupied not too long ago. Right now, she was receiving treatment back on Coruscant. But Revan's attention was on the dark-skinned man whose armor marked him as a former Mandalorian Neo-Crusader Shock Trooper. "Hello Rohlan." Revan said quietly.  
Rohlan Dyre, ex-Mandalorian Shock Trooper and now a hunter of the cause for the Mandalorian Wars, did not even turn around. "You must be Revan." He said, sipping his drink "Yah, Zayne told me all about you and Alec…or Malak."

"I'm not the man who slaughtered your brothers-in-arms long ago." Revan argued "I'm a new man."

"Yah, heard about the mind wiping. News travels fast in the underworld. But enough of this chit-chat. I assume you've heard of my search for…" Revan motioned for him to be silent.

"Uh Bastila? Why don't you get a drink?" Bastila looked at him with surprise, then shock, and finally gave him a look that clearly said, _'You'd better have a good reason for this'_ before walking over to another table.

"So you found the reason for the Mandalorian invasion?" Revan asked quietly, using the Force to deafen the other inhabitants of the cantina to their conversation.

"No yet, but I do know this: About a year before the initial invasion, Mandalore the Ultimate received several guests." Rohlan said, producing several plasteel blueprints and documents from his pocket, as well as two datapads.

"Do you know who?" Revan asked.

"No, the guard who I got this from couldn't remember who they were. In fact, he realized that he did see them clearly but somehow he forgot what they looked like. It doesn't take a genius to know what kind of being has the power to wipe memories." Rohlan explained, giving Revan a knowing glance.

"Yes, I can do that, but I prefer not to. But I know who they probably were." Revan suggested "They were Sith."

"Sith?" Rohlan seemed unfamiliar with the name "Wait…I heard a little about them. Same as Jedi, only different?" He asked.

"Like a rogue faction…" Revan began hesitantly. He had never really been asked to explain the Sith "While traveling with Zayne Carrick, you must have heard of the Force."

Rohlan nodded "The source of a Jedi's power." He recalled

"Exactly. Now the Force has two sides, or as some have argued, four. The Dark Side of the Force, the Light Side…and that's all you really need to know for this explanation. The Sith were a group of Jedi who began dabbling in the Dark Side. It gives one easier ways to gain great power, but with it comes greed, evil, and so much more. After fleeing, the Sith, or the Dark Jedi as they were called then, came upon the planet Ziost and its inhabitants, the Sith species. They became the lords of the Sith, the Sith Lordsl" Revan explained "They took control over them and somewhat merged with them."

"Now approximately a thousand years ago, the Sith, led by a warlord named Naga Sadow, attacked the Republic. They were driven back, but a few decades ago, a fallen Jedi Knight named Exar Kun joined forces with the Krath, a Sith-worshipping cult led by the descendants of the queen who helped the Jedi drive the Sith away. Thus began the Great Sith Wars, in which many Jedi fell to the Dark Side. Ulic Qel-Droma, who killed his own brother Cay was one of the more prominent Jedi to fall, but he was later redeemed. Other Jedi, like Nayama…" Here, Revan paused for a moment. Nayama Bindo was one he had never really though of. It was only now that he thought back to his conversation with Jolee on Lehon. His story resembled Ulic Qel-Droma's and Nomi Sunrider's, but his story after his betrayal by Malak resembled _Jolee's_.

Both he and Jolee had lost their loved ones to the Dark Side. Both had been approached by them to join the Dark Side. Both had refused and had fought their lovers, only to see them escape. But Revan had been able to redeem Bastila, and Jolee had not been able to redeem Nayama. Suddenly, Revan's blood went cold as he wondered what would have happened to Bastila had he not been able to redeem her. _Dead and her body incinerated as the Star Forge was destroyed_, said a voice in his head. Returning to reality, he continued talking.

"Exar Kun was eventually defeated, but the Republic was in a mess. This brings me to what we met to discuss. Another Mandalorian, one who traveled with me, by the name of Canderous Ordo realized that any sane Mandalorian with a sense of honor wouldn't attack a crippled enemy." Rohlan nodded as he began to dawn on Revan's words "So I think the Sith helped Mandalore the Ultimate rise to power and in return, he invaded the Republic…"

**Kaas City, Dromund Kaas**

"Forgive me my lord, I have failed." Lord Necros kneeled on one leg in front of the Sith Emperor, who was cloaked in shadow. "But I am not the one to blame. Lady Acheron was the one I sent to kill Revan…" Necros continued.

The Emperor said nothing for a moment. Then, he nodded to a scarred female Sith who stepped out of the shadows. Without hesitation, she activated her lightsaber and cleaved Necros' head from his body.

"Darth Acheron, do you know why you have killed your master?" The Emperor asked.

"He was weak and failed to kill the Prodigal Knight." Acheron said without hesitation.

"Yes, but so did you. On multiple occasions." Acheron visibly gulped. "But he tried to deflect the blame to someone else instead of accepting his fault." The implants covering a third of Acheron's face blinked red and blue as she stood silent.

"I will give you another chance. Take the _Blood Mauler_ and track down the Prodigal Knight. Take as many as you need, but _kill Darth Revan_!"

* * *

Thanks to ApparentlyInsane and Slop Doggy for their feedback.

A little trivia: Acheron was one of the names that they used for the possible Sith names for Jacen Solo, but it seems more of a girl's Sith name.

Dustil, Kel Algwinn, and Yuthura have joined the crew, though only one will stay!

Please R & R!


	11. Chapter 11: Trap!

And so begins part II of Darth Revan: The Prodigal Knight

All of the locations mentioned in this story are actual places in the Star Wars Universe.

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**Part II**

**Journey of Giants**

**Hosk Station, Karlarba System**

A giant metal sphere orbited the lush planet of Karlarba. To the unfamiliar traveler, it appeared to be a giant construct made by some long gone species, but in reality, it was Karlarba's moon. Built by Alderaan Royal Engineers for the Republic, it covered the surface of the moon. A major trade port, Hosk Station was a haven for all.

Different sections of the station had different gravity and environment to accommodate other species. Almost any form of business imaginable was located in the Station. While the station had an adequate security force, they could not prevent the many brawls and skirmishes that went on in the station. Still, they were prepared for their job, and Coruscant had promised a new shipment of stun sticks to subdue unruly people.

A group of the HSSF _really_ would have liked to have those stun sticks in their hands right now as they tried to subdue the members of the bar fight currently going on. Apparently, a Twi'lek man had leered at a brunette human female and her companion, a long-haired brunette Caucasian male had tried to shove him off. The Twi'lek responded by getting his other _friends_ over to _convince_ the girl to come with them. The man then punched the Twi'lek, sending him flying into another table, starting a fight. Soon, the man and his friends were engaged in a brawl with the Twi'lek's gang and half the bar.

Revan grabbed a bar stool and smashed it over the head of a Duros, before being pulled back by a muscular Devaronian. Bastila and Mission then grabbed the Devaronian and proceeded to beat him up while Zaalbar fiercely held two humans by the throats…all the while protecting his plate of food.

Mission kneed a Quarren in the groin and chopped down on his neck with her mechanical arm, knocking him out. Revan and Bastila found themselves back to back, trading blows with the Twi'lek's men using short staffs taken from the broken bar stools.

**Communications Room, Ebon Hawk**

"Ouch!" Kel winced as Revan was lifted up by a Whip'hid before being thrown over the bar and into the bartender. Both went sprawling to the floor.

"Can you clear up the picture Teethree?" Carth asked, chuckling as Mission leaped onto the Whip'hid's back and began bashing his face.

"Fifty credits says that the HSSF comes and breaks up the fight before it gets good." Yuthura muttered to HK.

[Amused Statement: I will accept the bet. Unnecessary Statement: I believe the Whip'hid is cheating. Explanation: He has brass knuckles.] HK responded. Dustil whooped as Zaalbar threw a man out the door, before rushing back to protect his plate.

Jolee groaned as the sounds of whooping and laughter reached his ears from the communications room. Pulling the pillow over his head, he used the Force and shut the med bay's door. Sighing in relief, he rolled over.

_THUMP THUMP THUMP_! "AARRGH!" Jolee stood up. Someone was pounding their fist on a console, and the sound reverberated all over the ship. Opening a drawer, Jolee breathed relief as he pulled out two very large cotton balls, before stuffing his ears with them.

**Detention Center, HSSF Headquarters**

[Crimes: Causing a public disturbance, destruction of Hosk Station property, damage to cantina, firing of a blaster in a public recreation room, and for the Wookie, assaulting 27 men.] The security droid said in her feminine voice. Zaalbar groaned that '_those men will be fine…provided that they won't be able to feel anything below the neck for a week._'

Carth sighed as the droid deactivated the cell force field. The rest of the crew, battered and weary, stumbled out, Bastila supporting Mission. The HSSF had arrived too late, and half the cantina had been removed on hover-gurneys.

"I leave you guys alone for a couple of hours, and this is what happens?" He chuckled, as they made their way to the hangar bay where the _Ebon Hawk_ was docked. The HSSF had informed Carth that the crewmembers involved were banned from Hosk Station '_pending an investigation in front of a criminal court, the highest possible penalty being two years banned from the system_.'

"Here we go!" Carth called back, as the _Ebon Hawk_ eased out of the hangar bay and shot off into hyperspace.

"You took out a Whip'hid?" Dustil whooped later over dinner to Mission.

"It wasn't such a big deal, and now my arm hurts!" Mission complained, adjusting the bandage over her left eye so it didn't interfere with her vision. Bastila sighed as she attempted to eat with her left arm for the tenth time, as her right arm hurt whenever she flexed it too hard.

"Jolee, what's wrong with your ears?" Revan asked curiously. Jolee flushed red and mumbled something under his breath before excusing himself. Yuthura was radiating loathing and anger at HK-47, who Revan could have sworn had taken up a victorious air around him.

"So Carth, I understand the Republic's thinking of promoting you?" Jolee said, wiping his fingers with a napkin.

"It's true, Admiral Dodonna discussed it with some of her senior advisors and they're thinking of promoting me to Captain. That means I'll get my own ship and command…and goodbye to the metal tub." Carth laughed, affectionately patting the _Ebon Hawk_. Just then, Zaalbar emerged from the corridor to the cockpit. "_Captain, I've picked up a distress signal. Code registers as Republic._" Revan leaped up immediately and ran to the communications room, followed by Carth and Bastila.

"What do we have?" Revan said, leaning over Zaalbar's shoulder.

"_Short-range distress beacon. The first half of the transmission is pretty clear, but I can't clear up the rest_." Zaalbar said wearily, typing furiously into the console. "_The last part of the transmission is perfectly clear, but when you hear it, you'd wish it wasn't_."

"Let's hear it." Carth said, activating the replay.

"_To any vessel within the area, this is the Republic cruiser Hope requesting assistance. We are under attack from unknown vessel. Our…shields…failed…half our systems…extensive damage…engines…Haven't…static…..Environmen-….shot down…..losing power. I don't know how long we'll last._"

"_They've got us locked in a tractor beam captain_!" said a voice in the background.

"_All hands, prepare for boarding!"_

"_We are being boarded, I repeat, we are being boarded…oh god…the captain! Help us someone! Please He-_" Revan heard the distinctive hum of a lightsaber and the woman's death rattle. Then the transmission ended.

Carth was white with shock as he gripped a chair fiercly. Bastila turned to Revan, who was silent. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked back at her "Prepare the crew for heavy combat."

"I'll set coordinates for that ship's last known location." Carth added, making his way to the cockpit.

**Outer Rim, near Rintonne**

The _Ebon Hawk_ reverted back to realspace as they came out of hyperspace. "I transmitted our coordinates to the Republic Navy, though I did warn them that the ship might have drifted away..."

"Carth…" Bastila said, silencing him. Wordlessly, she pointed ahead of them. Jolee cursed: Illuminated by Rintonne's Red Giant sun, they could clearly see the darkened shape of a _Foray_-class blockade runner. "The _Hope_…" Mission whispered.

The vessel resembled a half-eaten candy bar, the wrapper peeled back and the candy half-eaten. The hull had been blasted apart at the aft of the ship, and Revan could see what remained of the engines hanging onto the rest of the ship by a couple of metal beams. "I'm reading atmosphere in the forward half of the ship." Carth said "The distress beacon's been turned off…" He paused for a moment, frowned, and then typed a couple of commands in. "There's another ship docked with the _Hope_…a Mandalorian dungeon ship?" The others exchanged confused looks. Why would a Mandalorian dungeon ship be drifting all the way out here?

"It's intact and has a full atmosphere…" Carth gasped "That can't be right…and it is. The ship's still got power and everything, but I'm detecting no distress beacon at all. No outgoing transmissions or anything!" Times like this made Revan _really_ miss Canderous.

"Could be a trap." Yuthura suggested.

"Probably is, but there's only one way to find out: spring the trap." Revan decided "Try and dock us with that dungeon ship. We'll make our way to the _Hope_ from there. I'm going to get those vac suits from the smuggling compartment."

Revan breathed in slowly as Bastila fitted his helmet on. They didn't know what the air might be like in the dungeon ship, so vac suits were necessary until they were certain the air was safe. "We've docked with the dungeon ship." Mission said from the cockpit. Giving Bastila the thumbs up, Revan pushed the airlock open and stepped inside the dungeon ship. "Atmosphere reads normal" Bastila said, removing her helmet. Revan did likewise.

Accompanied by Kel, Mission, and Jolee, Revan began his investigation of the dungeon ship. "This door leads to the cell blocks." Jolee reported. Stepping inside, Revan felt bile rise in his throat. Running back out, he threw up all over the corridor floor. Jolee winced a little and returned his gaze to what lay inside the first cell. The skeletal remains of two humans, one of which lay in the position it had died in trying to gnaw on the other's bones.

"Captain…" Kel said urgently. He and Mission had wandered deeper into the cell block. Revan wiped his mouth and walked toward their voices.

"Yes Kel…" Revan's voice trailed off as he reached the pair. They were standing in front of a cell _whose transparisteel wall had been smashed_. Several others had been as well. "Look what species occupies this row." Mission gulped, pointing to the corpses lying in several other cells.

"Rakghouls…" Revan whispered.

**Ebon Hawk, Cargo Bay**

"Admiral Kosen" Carth saluted to the hologram of the dark-skinned man.

"What do you have?" Kosen asked urgently.

"We've come upon the remains of the supply ship _Hope_. It appears to have been attacked." Carth began "But there's more. We discovered a Mandalorian dungeon ship docked with the vessel. Can't detect any indication that the crew's still onboard or alive…"

[Carth…get down here. Better bring HK and Zaalbar.] Revan said over the comm. Admiral Kosen nodded and Carth hurried to the airlock.

"What is it?" Carth asked as he reached Revan. The Jedi was kneeling in front of a ruptured stasis cell.

"Rakghouls." Revan said quietly "The breaks in the glass look aged, but I can't say if there are any still alive. The same for the other breakouts in the other rows." To add emphasis to his words, just at that moment, a high-pitched moan echoed all over the cell block.

"I'd say that at least seven of each species trapped in here got out. Could be more, but with the different amount of corpses in the cells, it's hard to tell." Carth said. Revan scrolled down the list.

"Rakghoul, Selkath, Quarren, _Wookies_?" He turned to Bastila "Sounds like they were experimenting on their brain chemistry." Bastila nodded grimly.

"Remember those Selkath we found on Hrakert Station?" Revan winced. Bastila was right. During their quest for the Star Forge, they had encountered a large quantity of insane Selkath on Manaan. The Selkath had gone crazy after hearing several loud noises emitting from a very large Firaxa shark and had killed the majority of the population of the underwater research facility in a matter of hours.

"Nikto, Geonosians, _Acklay_…This sounds like one of Demagol' twisted experiments from the Wars." Carth cursed "All were repeatedly injected with something."

"What?" Revan asked curiously. Carth just sighed and showed him one of the datapads he had found lying around.

Subject 1384 injected. Lifesigns erratic. Rage center enlargening. Proceed to next subject.

"Whatever they were doing…" Revan paused for a moment "Carth, tell me. In all of your experiences with the Mandalorians, have you ever seen them experiment with species?"

"Well Demagol always liked to…" Carth began to realize the terrible idea that was forming in Revan's head "…experiment with Jedi. These experiments sound more like the works of…" The ship's proximity alarm began blaring.

"…Sith."

**Sith destroy **_**Blood Mauler**_**, Rintonne System**

"Captain, the Jedi's ship has detected us. They're powering up weapons." A long black cloak inlaid with deep crimson billowed around Darth Acheron as she made her way to the front of the bridge.

"Have they detected our forces?" She asked, the shadows of the bridge casting sinister figures across a scarf tied around her mouth and nose that barely covered her scarred and half-cybernetic face.

"No, my lady. Leader One does not report any enemy contact. Should he proceed with the plan?"

"Yes…but prepare our shuttles for boarding. Tell them the Prodigal Knight is mine!"

**Mandalorian Dungeon Ship, Rintonne System**

"Carth, once you've undocked with the ship, I want you to head for the nearest Republic outpost and tell them what's going on." Revan said into his comlink.

"What about you guys?" Carth asked "Half the crew's still onboard that prison ship."

"We'll figure something out, but you're our only way of telling the Republic what's going on." Revan said anxiously "Now go!"

Zaalbar gave a long moan as the _Ebon Hawk_ disappeared into hyperspace. HK added to the suspense by ejecting his empty blaster cartridge and reloading his rifle [Warning: Master, the Sith vessel has launched several boarding craft and fighters. Shocked statement: The fighters are going after the _Ebon Hawk_! Suggestion: Now would be a good time to call up that Mandalorian.] Revan sighed and activated his comlink. "Revan to Canderous, I repeat, Revan to Canderous, do you read me? We're in a bit of a situation here."

"_**WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CONTACTING ME? I'M KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF A WARZONE…GET BACK HERE YOU SITH-LOVING SCUM!**_" roared the annoyed voice of Canderous. The crew could here loud explosions and gunfire in the background. "Where the hell is he?" Bastila said with wonder, shaking her head. Revan sighed and resumed speaking.

"I understand you are in the middle of some sort of battle, but we're in a _very bad_ situation." He could hear the sounds of boots on gravel and what sounded like Canderous diving into a trench.

"_What kind of situation…hold that thought!_" Canderous growled. Revan heard the distinctive _beep_ of a grenade being activated and Canderous' grunt as he hurled it. When it detonated, Canderous gave a satisfied chuckle before asking again, "_What kind of situation_?"

"Like…oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, we're all going to die?" Revan laughed nervously "We're in a Mandalorian dungeon ship that for some reason is docked with the wreck of a Republic supply ship, the _Hope_. There are several shuttles headed toward us from a Sith cruiser that just dropped out of hyperspace. We're in the aft cell block."

Canderous sighed and paused for a moment "_If I remember the layout of those vessels correctly, then there should be a security room and armory through a door opposite of the hatch to the airlock complex. Once you're there, you'll find a detailed schematic of the vessel. I'll place my bet that the escape pods are probably gone or have been sabotaged. In that case, download the map and get to that Republic supply vessel and use the escape pods there…gotta go! Kelborn, bring up the rear!_" The comlink switched off but not before Revan heard the man who presumably was Kelborn tell Canderous "_What did your employer want_?"

"Captain…I found the security control room, but there's something else." Kel's uneasiness in his voice told Revan something was wrong. Indeed something was.

"They were killed recenty. After being tortured for a long period of time." Bastila breathed, staring at the heavily lacerated and burned face of a Mandalorian. Revan grimaced at the hole in the man's chest "The Sith were here." He realized "They probably commandeered the prison ship and after hulling the _Hope_, docked it with her. They knew we'd take a look inside and have to leave whoever was still in the ship when they arrived!" Suddenly, he heard Mission scream.

A rakghoul had materialized out of the darkness at the end of the cell block and was running toward Mission, who was paralyzed with fright. Its gaping mouth was slick with venom and its claws were outstretched, ready to attack. Just as it closed in, Mission saw Jolee Bindo run out of another row of cells and slice the rakghoul in two. Mission saw Revan and the others run up and ran to them with her arms open. Revan just reached out with his right arm and unleashed a blast of Force lightning…which struck the rakghoul stalking Mission from the top of a cell.

"The entire ship's probably infested with rakghouls and who knows what!" Revan snarled, slicing another rakghoul that was sneaking up behind him. "We'll make our way to the _Hope_, and hope nothing goes wrong!" No one laughed at his feeble pun.

_**Ebon Hawk**_**, en route to Malastare**

Carth smashed his head against the console for the third time. Dustil and Kel exchanged worried looks. The three of them, Yuthura, Zaalbar, and Teethree had been onboard the _Hawk_ and had escaped. "I pity the others." Yuthura sighed "They won't stand a chance against the inhabitants of that ship _and_ the Sith."

"I sent a message to Admiral Kosen on Malastare." Dustil said "They're sending a ship to investigate. Let's hope the Sith fighters don't catch up to us until we reach the outpost on Malastare."

"One ship won't be enough." Carth said, his voice mumbled since his head was lying on his arms. "An armada maybe, but one…" Suddenly, they were all thrown around by a very loud explosion."

"_Carth, we've reverted to realspace! The Sith fighters fired on us while we were in hyperspace_!" Zaalbar warned from the cockpit. Carth cursed "Firing on another vessel in hyperspace is like committing suicide!" He ranted before running to the cockpit.

"Our shields are down!" Dustil warned "Half of our systems are fried!" Teethree gave a mournful bleep. He had hooked up to a terminal and had accessed one of the _Ebon Hawk_'s external cameras. It showed smoke and flames erupting from one of the engines. "I can't lock it down!" Carth roared, fighting with the controls. The sound of cursing came from the engine room, as Kel furiously tried to put out the fire that had erupted in there.

"I'm picking up a planet. It's atmosphere is Type I and the planet's terrestrial." Carth said.

"It's Umgul…not many settlements, but it's better than nothing." Dustil sighed.

**Umgul**

Trailing fire and smoke, the _Ebon Hawk_ sped through the atmosphere before disappearing into the mist covered mountains. The peak of one of these behemoths loomed out of the mist, and it was only thanks to Carth's superb piloting skills that they avoided crashing…mostly. The _Ebon Hawk_'s port side smashed against the mountain, sending the ship out of control.

The sound of birds screeching awoke Dustil. He could taste blood on his lips and felt something hot and sticky trickling down from a gash in his forehead. Groaning, he opened his eyes. He was in some sort of mountain forest, and was lying on solid rock partly covered with soil in some places. A loud _snap_ kicked his instincts into hyperdrive, and he rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding the hull fragment that landed where he had just lain a few second ago.

Forcing himself up, Dustil looked around him. Yuthura was leaning against a tree, having propped herself up before passing out. "Dustil?" Dustil looked up. There was the Ebon Hawk, about fifty feet up, trapped in the canopy like some odd bird nest. The transparisteel frontal view port of the cockpit was smashed, and a hazy memory of flying through the window and seeing the ground rush up to him.

Carth was waving from the pilot's seat. "Uh, you might want to rouse Yuthura and move to a safer distance. The _Ebon Hawk_'s not on a very stable platform, so we're going to try to use what thrusters that are still operational to land, rather than wait for these branches to break."

"Give it all you got Kel!" Carth roared back. Kel was furiously trying to repair what damage had been done to the engines.

"We only have enough power in the thrusters to run them nonstop for maybe a minute or so!" Kel warned "They'll have to recharge after that, but I don't think we'll get a second chance…"

"Just do it!" Carth roared, as the _Ebon Hawk_ slid a little bit forward. Dustil had woken up Yuthura and now both were standing to the side of the clearing. "We're going to try and use the Force to aid you." Yuthura said over the comlink "But we're both in a very feeble condition so you can't rely on us to do this!"

Carefully, Carth restarted the _Ebon Hawk_. Teethree began to manually activate each thruster, slowly lifting the _Ebon Hawk_ a few inches above the branches. Dustil and Yuthura sat cross-legged on the ground, using the Force to gently nudge the Ebon Hawk forward out of the branches and into the clearing. Teethree activated the landing struts.

Carth gave a sigh of relief, "The first parts over!" he said wearily, and removed his hands from the controls to wipe his brow. Teethree gave an alarming wail as the _Ebon Hawk_'s thrusters went wild without someone at the controls, and the freighter slammed onto the forest floor.

Carth awoke in the Ebon Hawk's medical bay. The first thing he saw was Dustil's blurry face. "Dad," Dustil began. Hs voice was distant. "This makes number sixteen. I hope you have your credits ready because this is _really_ gonna cost."

**Mandalorian Dungeon Ship, Rintonne System**

"Bastila!" Revan roared, firing off another shot, hitting a mutated Nikto, who fell backwards where his companions promptly ate him.

"Bastila!" Revan roared again, shooting a rakghoul that was sneaking towards them on the ceiling.

"I'm trying!" Bastila roared "Mandalorian _beskar_ is hard to cut through!" Both she and Jolee were furiously trying to through a heavy lock bolting the airlock door shut. The airlock was all there was between them, the _Hope_, and safety.

[Statement: Master, if I do not recharge my batteries in approximately two hours, three minutes, and twenty seconds, I will shut down. Query: Why are we not simply blasting the door open?] HK inquired, using his flamethrower to drive back the oncoming creatures.

"We need to be able to close that door." Revan grimaced, aiming his rifle at a one-armed Selkath screaming at a high pitch, only to discover the blaster was out of tibanna gas. Cursing, he took out Bendak Starkiller's blaster and finished off the Selkath.

"Got it!" Jolee roared in triumph, as the lock fell to the floor. Zaalbar ran forward with a metal pole he had found and began grunting and struggling as he pried the rusted doors apart. After several agonizing moments, he succeeded and Jolee pressed a button on the console. The doors creaked open.

"Everyone inside!" Revan ordered "Bastila and I will bring up the rear!" Zaalbar charged through the door, followed by HK and Mission. Jolee Force-shoved the creatures back before running to the door and diving through.

"Come on Revan!" Mission pleaded "We have to start closing the doors now if we don't want any of those creatures to get inside. A cry of pain caught Revan's attention. A Selkath had emerged from a panel in the wall and had scraped Bastila's leg with its claw. Roaring with anger, Revan shot the Selkath and grabbed Bastila. But the moment he stopped firing, the creatures began to run toward him.

Zaalbar and Jolee were gesturing wildly as the doors began to close. Revan used the Force to enhance his speed and leaped through the door, carrying Bastila, just as the creatures reached the door.

Mission screamed as a rakghoul leaped through the shutting doors. They slammed shut on its thighs, cutting them off, but still, the rakghoul shuffled forward towards Mission…until Zaalbar stabbed it with his sword.

Bastila winced as Jolee carefully cut away her tunic with a knife. He grimaced as he saw the true extent of the damage done to her thigh. There were three very deep gashes and the skin around them was purple and red. The veins surrounding the wound bulged out.

"Normally, I wouldn't treat a wound like this anywhere but a proper hospital." Jolee sighed "And I doubt this ship's med bay will do with all the damage done to the vessel, but we really don't have another choice." They made a stretcher out of two metal poles and Jolee's coat and carried Bastila to the med bay.

"At least it's intact….…mostly…partially…Bastila's doomed…" Mission groaned. The sickbay was a jungle. Whatever explosions destroyed the engines sent massive shockwaves through the ship. Boxes of medicines, hypos, and other supplies had been tossed from their cabinets and shelves, and the only two kolto tanks that Revan could get operational had their transparisteel walls smashed.

"Some of the containers smashed when they hit the ground." Jolee sighed "This is going to be difficult without a kolto tank."

[Statement: Master, while most of the kolto supply tanks have leaked out, I have found what appears to be an undamaged box of kolto supply tanks.] Revan ran over. Sure enough, there was a large crate in the back of a cabinet. Its contents had been saved due to the fact that it had been placed amongst some pillows and blankets.

"I could probably jury-rig one of these kolto tanks to activate using a remote power source." Mission noted, examining an undamaged kolto tank that had its power lines cut. "I'll need some parts from the rest of the ship, but I might be able to power this thing up!"

"_Captain, the Sith shuttles have docked with the Mandalorian dungeon ship._" Zaalbar warned. "_I doubt they'll be hindered by those creatures._"

[Statement: Master, I have hacked into the Mandalorian ship's security cameras. The beasts seem to obey the Sith.]

"Beast Control…and the dark side of the Force" Revan winced "Those poor souls' minds were tampered with by the Sith. They're like their pets now."

"Boy, shouldn't we be preparing for when those Sith break down the door?" Jolee suggested. Revan gasped. Jolee was right.

"Zaalbar, I need you with me. We're going to the droid hold." Revan said. Zaalbar looked confused, but followed his friend.

* * *

Transparisteel is a transparent sturdy metal in the Star Wars Universe.

In case you're wondering, not all rakghouls were killed when Malak bombed Taris. As is evidence, players fight rakghouls on Taris in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Please R & R!


	12. Chapter 12: Sacrifice

**Umgul**

"Well, most of our systems burned out during the crash." Carth said sadly "Luckily, we have some parts in the ventral storage compartments and the MPM, and I can make do with splicing some parts together to substitute for some of the parts we don't have…for a while…"

"What's the bad news?" Dustil asked, wincing as Kel ripped the needle he had been using to stitch a wound on his arm out.

"There are still some parts, like the plasma conduits, burn-out pods, and most of the hyperdrive and parts of the sublight drive that can't be replaced. The ship might be able to operate in atmosphere, but the drive will burn since the casing's cracked and we don't have another. I wouldn't even allow the ship to fly in atmosphere, but since we don't have another…"

"This planet was in the Elder Rakatan database." Dustil noted "It had no strategic importance and its natural resources were of no relevance to the Infinite Empire. But the Rakatans left thousands of temples and structures on the surface. We know the Rakata used a lot of technology in their buildings. Perhaps the few trade settlements that dot this planet use what's left of that technology. From what I could gather from the info on Umgul in the galaxy map, there's a trade settlement 28 miles to the south."

"Also," Yuthura said as she emerged from the MPM "there's a small three person TT-6 landspeeder in the MPM that you forgot about Carth. It's dismantled, but if we reassemble it, we don't have to worry about the _Ebon Hawk_ exploding while searching for a settlement."

**Foray-class blockade runner Hope, Rintonne System**

Two red glowing tips cut through the thick _beskar_ door of the Mandalorian dungeon ship's airlock. It was slow work, but they had already cut a quarter of a large glowing circle outline into the door.

"_Are you sure this is going to work_?" Zaalbar groaned as Revan injected another programming spike into the _Sentinel_-class droid's maintenance panel. Eleven more Sentinel-class combat droids stood with their blaster cannons aiming at the two glowing lightsaber tips, already programmed to unleash a storm of fire when the Sith cut through the door.

Several other droid models, like the Mark IV assault droid, Mark II assault droid, Mark I assault droid, K-X12 probe droid, and the Juggernaut war droid, were stationed here and at various other places in the remainder of the ship to pick off the Sith. They would be no match for the entire Sith force, but Revan had made some modifications and they would ensure that Revan's allies would have less enemies to fight.

"_Revan, you better get up here…_" Mission called from the communications control center.

"What is it?" Revan asked anxiously. Mission had been frantically trying to hail any nearby vessels in the area using what power they had managed to restore by hooking up the Mandalorian ship's power generator to the _Hope_ through external wiring.

"Two cruisers have entered the system…but they're not Republic nor Sith." Mission said, pointing to two blips on the screen, marked as **Unknown**.

"Starscape-class armored yacht…Shaadlar-type troopship." Revan murmured, leaning over her shoulder. "These don't resemble the forces of any known superpower that I know of…" There was a loud banging.

"Uh…Revan, you know how there were mutant Acklay on that Mandalorian vessel?" Jolee said nervously on the comlink.

"_Captain_…" Zaalbar groaned anxiously.

"Not now Zaalbar. Yes Jolee, I do remember…" Revan nodded, not liking the direction the conversation was taking.

"Well, some of them just smashed their way through another hatch. The cargo transfer hatch." Jolee gulped. Revan cursed. The cargo transfer hatch was, as anyone could tell by the name, used for the transfer of cargo, heavy vehicles, or for capital ships, starfighters. A fifth of the size of a regular hangar bay entrance, it was still large enough for a full grown acklay to bash its way in.

"_Captain_…" Zaalbar groaned again, this time more urgently.

"Let me finish talking to Jolee. Exactly how many got in?" Revan said, fuming.

"Five juveniles. No sign of the parents…but several rakghouls and Whip'hids got and destroyed the shield mechanism before I could activate it. I locked down the adjunct corridors, but I don't know how many got through before I did."

"_**Captain!**_" Zaalbar roared. The Sith were halfway to cutting through the door. Revan grimaced.

"Get over here and help Mission once you've finished reprogramming those droids." He decided "I'll be in the medical bay."

The door _whished_ open as Revan strolled in. Bastila lay suspended in a kolto tank, while HK monitored her condition. Jolee was hunched over the small fusion generator they had slaved to the tank when he heard Revan come in.

"She'll be fine, but I don't know what toxins the Sith injected into those creatures. Without specific knowledge on what it was, I can't heal her. The kolto will fix her up for now, but if that toxin isn't neutralized soon, her fever will start up again." Jolee sighed.

Bastila's eyes opened and she gave Revan a weak smile, to the best of her abilities as her mouth and nose were covered by an oxygen mask. _'I grow stronger every second, yet this wound continues to hamper my attempts to heal myself'_ she whispered to him through their bond.

Suddenly, the comm crackled to life. "Republic vessel _Hope_, this is Captain Dern Marnosic of the Aratech vessel _Reign of Fire_. We are responding to your distress call and are willing to provide assistance."

Revan raced over to the communications station "_Reign of Fire_, this is Jedi Revan of the Jedi Order. We've responded to the _Hope's_ distress call, but we have been ambushed by a Sith attack force."

"Sith?" Marnosic's response was all but outright shocked "These two vessels aren't enough to take on a fully armored Sith cruiser."

"I know sir," Revan said gently "But we could use your help over here. The Sith are trying to penetrate the _Hope_, and we don't have enough men to defend this vessel against them."

"I'll send over some shuttles." Marnosic suggested "And we're contacting the Republic."

**Umgul**

"I think I'm gonna be sick again. Hand me the bag…" Kel winced as Dustil heaved over the side of the speeder. Carth sighed and slowed the vehicle down.

"This is the fifth time you've gone and hurled all over creation!" He roared over the engine "Can't you…you know…use some sort of Jedi technique to keep your stomach from spewing your lunch?"

"_You're_ the one who told me to eat before we set out, since it might be a while before we reach the settlement." Dustil shot back, gratefully accepting the flimsheet towel that Kel handed to him. T3 beeped mournfully.

"There's a column of smoke just up ahead." Carth reported as they set off again. "If you can keep your lunch from coming up again, they might have a pharmacy or someone with a pill to keep you from getting sick."

**Farming Settlement, Umgul**

The speeder pulled up just short of the settlement's gates. Nestled in a shallow valley, it was a safe haven for the farmers and traders who resided in it…that is, if there were any, where the hell were they?  
"They're either hiding or dead." Carth said to himself, examining a console screen inside one of the many hovels and huts that made up the village. It was still warm.

"Carth…" Kel called anxiously "There's something you should see…"

"What is it…oh…" Carth pulled up short in front of a barn/hangar. Five Sith interceptors lay in landing position amongst the landspeeders and farming equipment.

"Now we know where those Sith went…" Dustil sighed, examining one of the fighters "Looks like they were damaged as well when they fired on us. Must have had enough power to land here…and do what?"

Carth walked out of the hangar and stared off into the mist. Hearing the telltale sound of a blaster rifle being cocked, he whipped around, both blaster pistols in hand. The Zabrak male who had been holding the rifle jumped in surprise, dropping the weapon.

Dustil and Kel leaped out of the barn, activating their yellow and orange lightsabers. Other figures leaped out of their hiding places and began unleashing a hailstorm of fire at the two Jedi.

Upon hearing the sound of another lightsaber activating, Dustil instantly put down his lightsaber "Truce! We're Jedi!" The sound of blasterfire stopped.

A figure emerged from the mist, wielding a blue lightsaber. He was a Codru-Ji male, with the telltale sign of six appendages: Two legs, and four arms. "State your names, ranks, and intentions." He snapped, activating two more blue lightsabers.

Carth stepped forward "Carth Onasi, soon-to-be Captain. This is my son, Dustil Onasi and Kel Algwinn, both Jedi Knights. We're just here to trade for some parts we need to repair our vessel, and then we'll be on our way."

The Codru-Ji deactivated his lightsabers. "Name's Di-Derinn. Sorry about that, but thought you were those no-good Sith who attacked us after we allowed them to land. But this means that you're the cause of it all." He gestured for them to go inside a hut.

"The Jedi Order began to fund its own rebuilding project for the galaxy. Not all of the planets that need help are the ones ravaged by Revan and Malak's fleets. There are those like Umgul," He gestured to their surrounding "and this settlement, Dericar, that were used as slave pens, or holding places for captured Jedi."

"I led a team of three Jedi and several Republic medical officers to help with this planet's rehabilitation. The poor locals were scared out of their minds. The Sith introduced some pretty nasty species to the environment. Tuk'ata for one, and many nexus. Adding the Sith on top of all this, it's lucky we've held out for so long."

"How long have the Sith been here?" Carth asked.

"Maybe a month or so. They've launched guerilla attacks on us, killing twenty good men." Di-Derinn sighed.

"The Sith must have been knocked back in time due to the explosion." Carth explained to Dustil and Kel "Their hyperspace drives were probably damaged by the blast, and that caused them to emerge a month before we crashed."

**Airlock complex, **_**Hope**_

"Get behind me, get behind me!" Revan roared "Taste this Sithspawn!" Roaring like a lunatic, he unleashed a barrage of blasterfire at the first emerging Sith, who fell backwards screaming.

The assault droids ran forward, some slicing at the Sith with their two prongs, while others gunned them down. But the Sith recovered from the initial attack and began mowing down the droids.

"Now!" Revan roared to Mission. She fired a series of water canisters from her rocket launcher at the door, where they splattered and created a pool underneath the Sith. Jolee fired a barrage of Force Lightning at the doorway, frying whichever poor souls had been dumb enough to not dive for cover. The Aratech commandos provided covering fire as Revan dived backwards.

"Keep firing at them, but slowly retreat! I'll meet you guys back at the bridge!" Revan roared. Jolee sighed and punched a Sith who had been trying to sneak up on him.

Bastila winced as the Aratech surgeon gently removed the bandaging. "By the looks of it, this is a strain of Synox." The Ithorian female said quietly, removing a blue-fluid filled hypo from her bag "This should keep her alive until we can get her back to the _Reign of Fire_."

Revan dived through the doors, two Sith warriors close behind him. Without pausing, he whirled around, whipped out his blaster, and shot the two of them in the head. "Talk about a dramatic entrance…" Bastila said weakly.

"I assume this means the Sith are advancing?" Marnosic asked .

"Yep," Revan groaned, flexing his neck "Agh…I'm getting too old for this."

"We have extra vacuum suits for you and your crew…" Marnosic said hesitantly "…but it will be difficult extracting your friend here."

"What's her condition?" Revan asked curiously, giving Bastila a quick hug.

"She'll be alright if I can get her aboard our vessel." Mana Serpin, the Ithorian healer said quietly "But that means we leave now."

Revan gritted his teeth "I would have liked to find out who's behind the attack on the _Hope_…but you're right." He ran over to a console. "Crew, retreat. We're leaving. There are vacuum suits by the bridge airlock. I want to see all of you aboard the _Reign of Fire_ within the hour."

"Get her out of here." Revan said to Marnosic "I need to do some things first." Marnosic nodded.

"Alright, but hurry. The Sith cruiser has already begun to fire on our vessels. I won't wait long before the shuttle takes off."

Revan raced past Mission and Zaalbar, who were speeding away from a squad of Sith troopers. Jumping onto one wall, Revan leaped onto the other and leaped over the Sith troopers' heads. Within a matter of seconds, he had decimated the entire squad, before racing off again.

"The airlock's that way…" Mission called after him, but he had already run off.

Revan homed in on his target: the cargo hold. With one last leap, he landed in the large room.

The woman, shrouded in shadows, laughed. "Well Revan, we meet again. This little affair of ours just can't be silenced, can it?" She smirked, moving towards him.

"Last time I saw you, you were even more of a coward then the first time." Revan shot back, activating _Mantle of the Force_. "Look at you now, without any Sith lackies or soldiers. Did they leave you, because they realized what a dirty whoring bitch you really are?"

Acheron growled, and raised her hand. Revan raised his lightsaber to block a Force lightning attack, but she Force-shoved him against the wall. Leaping up, he gathered green Force Lightning in his hand and fired it at her. She countered it with her own lightning.

"Are you..._uhh_…going…to…..run away again?" Revan groaned, trying to keep up the barrage of lightning.

"You…_ehhh_….shouldn't…have….let me….live!" Acheron snarled. They both stopped their attack. Acheron activated her lightsaber.

Revan chuckled and ran forward. Their blades met over and over again in brilliant flashes of light.

Acheron picked up a crate and flung it at Revan, who dodged it. He then flung his lightsaber at a catwalk, sending it crashing down on Acheron, who barely dived out of the way. Snarling, she began throwing all manners of objects at Revan, who dived for cover.

Revan breathed heavily as he hid behind several crates. Although she didn't realize it, Acheron had hit him in the gut with a pipe shard. Gasping with pain, he pulled it out.

Standing up slowly, he leaped over the crate pile and bowled into Acheron. Both combatants were sent sprawling to the floor. Standing up, Revan landed a searing blow to Acheron's left thigh. It buckled and she collapsed, but not before tapping Revan on the elbow. The searing pain forced Revan to drop his lightsaber as he went crashing to the floor.

Straining to get up, Acheron laughed as she summoned Revan's lightsaber to her hand. Looking down at the Jedi, she smiled. "So ends Revan, the Prodigal Knight…" she whispered, before raising both lightsabers.

"RRAAARRGGGHHHHH!" Acheron turned around just in time to see Jolee Bindo grab her by the head and send both of them into a pile of crates. Calling Revan's lightsaber into his hand, Jolee pointed both at Acheron. "On your feet Sith!" he roared, spitting out a tooth.

Acheron seemed to struggle up, before unleashing a Force-wave at Jolee, who flew into the wall. Growling he leaped at her.

Revan gasped as he struggled up. Through his blurry vision, he could see Acheron and what seemed to be Jolee fighting. But it _couldn't_ be Jolee. This Jedi was a true master with lightsabers, able to change intermittingly between the Force and the lightsaber.

"Jolee…" Revan's voice sounded distant to himself "…she's too strong! Run!" Jolee turned his head at the sound of Revan's voice. Acheron wasted no time, chopping off Jolee's sword arm. Howling with pain, he fell to his knees.

Revan's world began to grow dark. Just as he passed out, he heard the sound of footsteps and what sounded like, "_That's her, get her_!"

**Medical Bay, **_**Reign of Fire**_

** "Awaken.."**

Revan awoke with a start. Mission and Zaalbar gave deep sighs of relief as he sat up.

"Oh thank god!" Mission cried, "For a moment, I thought you were like Jolee…" Revan's head whipped around to stare in shock at her, before he leaped off the bed. Frantically glancing around, he finally found what he sought.

"Hello boy…" Jolee said weakly. He lay on a bed, comfortable as if he was just about to take a nap.

"I'm so sorry…" Revan said gently, looking at Jolee's wounds with horror. His right arm was missing and his face and torso were lacerated and burned.

"Nothing…to be sorry…_for_!" Jolee had to force the words out "If….it was….my time….no one could stop….it…." Revan's eyes filled with tears.

"Please Jolee, I can't lose you too…" he whispered, tearing rolling down his face.

"This was….always to happen…" Jolee chuckled, before coughing violently "Sith woman…ruptured my gut…..I'm dying whether…..you…..like….it…..or….not!"

Mission and Zaalbar had gathered next to Revan, Mission sobbing into Zaalbar's shoulder. Revan gripped Jolee's hand as the old Padawan gazed at the three of them.

"Sith woman…got me bad. Couldn't leave you…always have to watch your back for you." Jolee chuckled weakly. "Never…should have…let her….get up….thought I could….handle….her…"

"Yah, but this time, you didn't have Juhani to watch your back." Revan smiled.

"She…got away…little coward….no stomach for a real….fight…."

"Why did you engage her in combat?" Revan pleaded "You knew that you wouldn't stand a chance…"

"True, true…but….Revan…" Revan leaned in closer.

"Promise me…one thing…" Jolee gasped. Revan nodded. "Kill that….girl for me..." He continued, his cough getting worse "…make sure….I didn't….die…in…vain…Find Juhani…and the rest of the crew…kill the Sith…and…don't end up….like….me!"

"I promise" Revan said quietly, lending to Jolee his own strength using the Force. Jolee Bindo, veteran of the Great Sith War, companion to the Prodigal Knight, and crazed old hermit, smiled at him before looking past Revan's shoulder.

"Nayama? You came all this way for me? That's very kind my love…" His voice trailed off. The tears began to run down Revan's cheeks even more as he felt Jolee's life fade away in the Force. Suddenly, Mission screamed.

Jolee's body began to glow white. Revan backed away. He knew what was happening. Slowly, the Padawan's body began to fade away, until there was nothing left, except his empty robes. "Farewell old friend…" Revan whispered. He lay there until he fell asleep.

_Revan stood in the Ebon Hawk's med bay, putting Jolee's personal belongings into a trunk. "Don't blame yourself." Bastila said gently as she walked in._

_ "How many more?" Revan whispered "How many more must die?"_

_ "You can't be held responsible for Jolee's death." Bastila said gently. Revan looked at her, and burst into tears._

_ "I can't do this anymore…" he sobbed, rocking back and forth "…first Juhani, then Canderous, and now Jolee. How can I be a leader if I loose my men like leaves on the wind?"_

_ Bastila sat next to him and hugged him deeply. "Whatever happens to you…no matter what dangers you might face, I'll stand by you to face them." She whispered "We'll face the future together…"_

_**Ebon Hawk**_** Main Hold, Dericar, Umgul**

"The Sith have set up a base here…" Di-Derinn said, pointing to a mountain cave not three miles from the settlement. The farmers and traders had helped move the _Ebon Hawk_ to the hangar and were currently working to repair it. Right now, a council of war had been formed in the Main Hold around the holoprojector.

"From what scans we were able to get of the area before we crashed…" Carth noted, putting his finger to the cave entrance. The 3-D map swiveled around to enhance the cave, showing a network of tunnels and caverns "…the cave is the entrance to a small network of tunnels. Maybe five caverns in there. Probably where the other Sith fighters that trailed us went."

"They've been reinforced by several shuttles that emerged from hyperspace over the last few days." Di-Derinn added, calling up the settlement's sensor network archives.

"So the Sith either defeated Revan or they had more men to spare…" Carth's mutter was cut off by Di-Derinn's outraged cry.

"_Revan_? As in Darth Revan? Don't tell me this ship I'm standing in is the _Ebon Hawk_…" Di-Derinn moaned. Kel and Dustil sighed. Many Jedi weren't ready to accept Revan's redemption.

"He's redeemed now and…" Carth stopped talking as the communications station crackled to life and a familiar voice filled the Main Hold.

"Carth, I thought you were going to Malastare?"

"…he's right here?" Carth gasped with bewilderment.

**Perimeter of Dericar, Umgul**

A small _Ministry_-class orbital shuttle blew exhaust as it landed on the ground. Carth emerged out of the darkness of night to greet its inhabitants.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes…" Carth grinned, patting Revan on the back. Seeing the rest of the crew disembark, he realized someone was missing.

"Where's Jolee?" The others exchanged glances, and a cold tremor ran down Carth's spine.

"Let's go inside…" Revan said gently, steering his friend to the town center.

"I can't believe it…_Jolee_ of all people…" Carth murmured as he sipped a mug of ale before violently spitting it out "_Meg cuyir ibic osik shig_? What is this crap drink? What the hell is this stuff?" Mission stifled a giggle at Carth's extensive knowledge of Mandalorian curses.

"It's not Tarisian ale." Revan sighed, as he took another bite of the simple meat pie that he had been sensible enough to order instead of the ale.

"I know we're all sad about Jolee, but we've got another problem." Dustil interrupted "Tell them dad."

"We took off as soon as Revan and Jolee were dragged onboard." Mission explained "Don't know what happened to the Sith."

"Well, the cruiser took off after us in hyperspace…" Bastila corrected her "But I think we lost them after making several detours. It's those Sith fighters that bothers me." Carth nodded grimly.

"Wish I could say it wasn't true…" he shrugged.

"Those Sith fighters somehow caused an explosion that sent them back in time?" Revan pondered "I wonder…"

"We've assembled a small task force to deal with the Sith." Di-Derinn said, plopping down beside them "We're to leave in an hour, and I'd really like to have some lightsabers other than mine behind me…that aren't Sith."]

Revan whirled around and glared at him. "I'm not a Sith! Ask any Jedi or Republic officer! I've redeemed myself and it's not for you to judge me!"

Carth sighed and dumped the rest of his ale into a plant, earning a cold look from the bartender. "Kid's got a lot of work ahead of him…" he sighed, glancing at Revan and Di-Derinn, who were having a shouting match.

**One hour later…**

**Caves, 3 miles west of Dericar, Umgul**

"Don't see anything…" Revan whispered to Bastila, his voice muffled under the hood of his Jedi combat robes. They were a set of jet-black/navy blue armor that he wore on top of his blue Jedi robes. The party stood at the mouth of the cave, having climbed up a short hill.

"Use the Force, not your eyes…" Bastila murmured, focusing on the abundance of life in the caves.

"The natural plant life…insects…ah, there they are." She turned to Di-Derinn, who wore a plain set of farmer's robes "I can sense about twelve Sith in the chamber ahead of us."

"And there are fifteen more in the chamber behind that…" Di-Derinn added "And with the other presences I can sense, a total of fifty Sith inside."

"Revan, take a look at this…" Carth murmured, beckoning him over. He pointed at an opening higher up the cliff face.

"It looks like they've punched out the cliff face to create a hangar." Carth guessed. Revan grimaced and pulled out his electrobinoculars.

"Yep, they've lined the walls of the cavern with metal and permacrete. That's gonna be one tough thing to factor into our plan…"

"Here's what we'll do." Revan pulled out a small holoprojector and placed in the palm of his hand.

"Bastila, Carth and I will ascend the cliff face and enter through the hangar. The rest of our forces will go in through the front. Our scans picked up heavy metal concentrations inside the caverns, so I'm guessing the Sith turned this into some kind of base."

"Expect to find anti-infantry turrets inside." Carth added "Once you've breached the first cavern, half of our forces will head to the far eastern cavern. Teethree picked up a lot of energy output so we're guessing that's where they're housing their generators and such."

"The other half will be split up." Di-Derinn said, pointing to the first cavern the group would encounter "I will lead half and head to the hangar, and hopefully we can cut off the Sith's escape. The other half will guard the first cavern."

"Construction droids will follow you once you've secured the cavern." Bastila continued "They'll have parts to erect turrets so you'll have some help if the Sith come knocking. Meanwhile, Carth, Revan and I will try and infiltrate deeper into the base. The Sith cut out a room, and we think it might be where they're monitoring the base using security holos. If we take out the Sith there, we can provide you all with detailed information on what's happening."

* * *

"You know…" Carth grunted as he swung the climbing axe into the cliff face "…I could have pursued a different career choice, maybe transferred to active duty _before_ the official promotion…"

He glanced at Revan and Bastila who were using their lightsabers to cut notches in the rock face as makeshift foot and arm holds "…instead, I'm scaling a cliff with you two while my son is probably risking his life inside. I mean, the plan was to meet on Telos and help rebuild. Not join you in your crusade."

"After this journey, you are going back to Coruscant." Revan said through gritted teeth "I can't risk your life or that of your son's…besides, you have an important destiny ahead of you."

"For once, can you speak clearly and not just say '_the exact information that I need to know for_ _now_'?" Carth groaned, glancing down at the ground and wishing he hadn't.

"Come on, what fun would that be?" Revan chuckled, looking up at the hangar opening.

"I think we're far up enough." Bastila decided, pulling out her grappling gun while the other two did the same. "Three…two…one…FIRE!"

The three cables flew up and were flung around several spikes protruding from the entrance. "Clip these to the rock!" Bastila ordered, embedding a heavy-duty magnet into a notch she cut out with her lightsaber. Attaching the gun to it, she tested the rope and resumed climbing.

"This is like walking…except it's not." Carth muttered, sweat pouring down his forehead. He didn't have the Force to help him and had to rely on his brute strength. Using the ropes, the three strange commandos ascended to the hangar opening.

"All clear…" Revan muttered, sticking his head up and over the ledge. Struggling for a moment, he managed to climb up onto the durasteel and help the others.

"Let's hope the others have captured the first cave by now…" Revan sighed, pulling up his grappling line.

* * *

Dustil cursed as dust and rock flew into his eyes. For the past hour, they had fought their way deeper into the cavern network, and had reached the mouth of the first cavern. Capturing it was the easy part, but holding it until the construction droids arrived was the hard part. Even with them here now, it would be a while before the commandos erected the five auto-turrets. And it would be hard to place the turrets, with all the boxes lying all over creation.

"We're behind schedule!" Di-Derinn snapped "We have to split up! Aurek Group, follow me and Master Ban here! Besh Group, follow Dustil and Kel! Move out! Delta Squad will stay here and guard the cavern. We lose this ground, we lose it all."

Teethree gave a mournful whistle. The tunnels were lined with wiring and tubing and the floor and ceiling were covered with durasteel. The walls were the only thing that reminded the team that they were inside a cave, not a Sith base, but what was the difference?

"This brings back memories of Korriban." Kel whispered "Walking through dark hallways…except back then, the Sith weren't out to get me…"

"Speak of the devil…" Dustil warned, activated his orange lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_ and burrowing it into the throat of a Sith who had been walking around the corner.

* * *

**[Warning: Intruder Alert. All computer terminals have been locked down.]**

"Great…" Carth muttered, typing a few words into the password box.

[Access: Denied. Please try again. Be aware that password is case sensitive and the cap lock may be activated.]

"Let me try…" Revan suggested, plopping down in front of the terminal. "Times like this makes me wish Teethree was with us."

Bastila was on another terminal "Revan, whoever was on this forgot to turn it off. There's something here about Operation Big Boom. Odd name…"

"Sounds like an demolitions expedition in my opinion…" Carth's voice trailed off "…uh…where exactly is this operation taking place?" Bastila looked at him. She gulped and pointed silently to the ground.

"Operation summary: Boxes have been placed in Breach Areas 1, 8, and 10" Revan read aloud "Detonation will commence upon activation of detonator switch."

"Oh god…" Bastila gasped "The others…"

"…are walking into a trap!" Revan cursed, leaping up and barreling out the door.

* * *

Only one of the three new additions will stay on the crew after the next chapter.

The next one will not be posted for at least three weeks, (Or if I post it, the one after that won't), as I will be away.

Also, Dustil Onasi will receive a new lightsaber. The color will be by popular choice (Review and put in your choice).

The choices are:

-Blue

-Cyan

-Emerald

-Viridian

-Aqua

-Bronze

-Silver

-Golden


	13. Chapter 13: Truth

"All according to plan." Di-Derinn smiled, arriving in the hangar.

"Looks like we caught them packing up." Yuthura noted, indicating the many small crates lying around the single shuttle and the small fighters.

Dustil smiled as the last few Sith were cut down. Kel wasn't so enthusiastic.

"There should have been more…" he muttered, deactivating his lightsaber.

"What?" Dustil asked, turning around.

"There should have been more soldiers here." Kel explained, gesturing to the entire room "This is their power supply, not to mention an ammunition room of some sort." He added, indicating several small crates stacked against the generators. "Why aren't there more troopers here?"

"No one in their right mind would stack live ammunition or supplies against a running generator…" Dustil realized "…and if those aren't ammunition crates or food stores, then they have to be-"

Revan panted as he sped down the darkened tunnels. He couldn't be late, he just couldn't-

_**WHUMP…..BANG-BOOM!**_

The shockwave threw Revan backwards onto the hard metal floor. It may have saved his life, for mere seconds after the shockwave passed, a wall of fire sped through the upper part of the tunnel, almost missing Revan.

Sobbing as the air rushed back into his lungs, Revan took a few minutes to breath in the hot metallic air before jumping up. His face, arms…basically any exposed skin _hurt_. Wincing from the pain, he hobbled the last few yards to the hangar.

Revan gasped as he entered the large cavern. The explosives must have been stacked against the ships due to the amount of damage he could see. Several scorched and blackened corpses lay in several pieces near the wreckage.

"Revan…" Revan whirled around to see Yuthura leaning against the wall, a red stain spreading outward from the center of her stomach. He rushed over to her and cradled her in his arms.

"A trap…should have seen it coming…just like the Sith…" Yuthura laughed feebly, a small bubble of blood forming on her lips before popping.

"Then again…I was never good at seeing a trap…always had to have someone…else….see it for me…" she croaked again, glancing at several other commandos struggling to rise up. It was clear that it was too late for most of them. "Always wanted to go down fighting…" Her head lolled to the side as she drifted into unconsciousness. Unless she had medical help, it was clear she wasn't going to make it.

"Di-Derinn?" Revan whispered.

"Here…" A dusty and bloodied figure rose from a pile of rubble. One of his arms had been blown off at the shoulder and another had a burning stump for a hand. His face was heavily lacerated and burned, and he could barely walk without wincing in pain.

"Sith…must have evacuated most of their forces before we attacked." He wheezed "They knew what we would do."

"Revan!" Bastila and Carth rushed in, followed by the commandos who had stayed outside as a vanguard and the three men women who had survived the trap. They carried two stretchers.

"Here…" Bastila said, gently nudging Revan aside. She and Carth laid one of the stretchers down beside Yuthura. It was Kel.

"Didn't see that coming…" Kel gasped. A large shard of shrapnel had pierced his chest and stuck all the way through "Why aren't you guys taking this out?"

The others exchanged looks "It would be fatal to take that thing out." Di-Derinn winced as he examined the wound "That shrapnel shard is jagged-edged. If we took it out, it would cause more damage than keeping it in. But either way, he's done for. I can't treat him with what we've got here."

Kel gasped and coughed up blood. Revan and Bastila put their hands on his chest, using the Force to ease his breathing.

"A chest wound like this can be treated if we get them to a Republic facility." Carth said suddenly "I'm not going to lose my son twice." He grunted and picked up the stretcher carrying Dustil.

"Carry the men who are still alive out of here." Di-Derinn told one of his commandos "After that, burn this place to the ground. Use missiles or bombs, I don't care. This place has caused enough deaths."

Carth pulled out his comlink "Republic outpost JR-3058, I need you to send a medical frigate to Umgul…"

**Republic medical carrier, **_**Savior**_

Revan and Bastila watched as doctors and medics operated on the three Jedi. Carth lay on a bench outside, having drifted off to sleep.

[Statement: The chances of these three meatbags surviving, due to the magnitude of the explosion, is…Unexpected remorseful statement: 3,568 to one…]

"Thanks Aitchkay." Revan sighed "Why don't you go recharge in the droid hold for a while?"

[Query: Master, I have already recharged my batteries, so why must I-Exclamation: Alright you little nightstand, I get the point!] Teethree beeped angrily as he shocked the HK assassin droid again. The two of them rolled, or in HK's case, walked, out the door and down the corridor.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, one of the doctors walked out. In an instance, Carth woke up and grabbed the doctor by the neck. "Are they ok? Is my son ok? ANSWER ME!"

"Carth!" Revan wrestled with Carth and finally pulled him away from the doctor who stood gasping for air.

"All three had severe internal bleeding, not to mention rupturing of internal organs. The Twi'lek's already dead…" Revan cursed and Bastila bashed her head against the wall "…one of the others, Kel I think, is in a coma. The last one I'm afraid for." Carth gasped and nearly fainted.

"No, no, he'll be alright, but he's also in a coma. Kel is in a stable condition, though we're not sure when he's waking up. Dustil's drifting between life and death. We've done all we can, and now all we can do is wait."

**Main Hold, Ebon Hawk**

"Rrraaagggghhhhh!" Revan hurled a storage bin against the wall, sending sparks flying. Mission and Bastila sat against the wall, Bastila holding a glass of Corellian ale, something she had sworn never to taste.

"First Jolee, and now Yuthura. I don't know where in the universe Juhani is, and Canderous could die any day." Revan said, panting hard "Kel's out of it, and Dustil probably won't wake up until we've all grown old and died!"

**Medical Bay, **_**Savior**_

Carth sat by Dustil's bed. They had moved him to the recovery ward, but he was still hooked up to life support.

"Dustil…" Carth began softly "…I don't know how to say this, but I'm sorry. Sorry that I couldn't be there for you when you were growing up. Sorry for not being there when Darth Malak ravaged Telos. I loved your mother, my dear Morgana, and I wish it could have been different."

"I know you can't here me, but I hope that somewhere inside of you, the Force is giving you an inkling of what I'm saying. You're a strong Jedi Knight, and a son no other father could be proud of. You were able to overcome the influence of the Sith. You've had some tough crises in your life…Selene…your mother…me not being there for you, but you pulled through. Now I need you to pull through again. Whatever the future holds, no matter what dangers you'll face, I'll be there to guide you."

Revan glided in to the recovery ward to find Carth asleep by Dustil's side, sitting in a chair. "Revan?" Kel had woken up.

"I'm sorry, I failed you." He said weakly.

"Quiet…" Revan shushed him "…you need your strength for the ride back to Coruscant."

"Coruscant?" Kel seemed puzzled.

"The Council and I have agreed. Dustil has faced more danger than you in combat, but I can't force you two to stay. And your wounds are going to hinder you throughout your life." Kel sighed and waved his arm stump at Revan. One of his eye sockets was covered by a bandage patch to hide the fact that he only had one eye.

"I can't risk you dying out there, and Master Qual has agreed to take you on as his apprentice. After you recuperate on Coruscant, you and he will be heading out to his home planet of Manaan."

"I wish I could stay…" Kel sighed "…but I see your point. Still, training under a former member of the Dantooine Enclave Council might not be such a bad consolation prize. Manaan's a nice place. Watch your back Revan."

**Three hours later…**

"Dad…" Carth raised his head. Dustil's eyes were open and he was staring at the curtains that surrounded his ward in confusion.

"Dustil…oh thank god." Carth murmured before fiercely hugging his son "I thought I'd lost you as well."

"_Gagghh_! I love you too Dad." Carth didn't let go "Okay, oxygen becoming a problem here!"

"What? Oh, right." Carth immediately let go of his son.

"Are Kel and Yuthura okay?" Dustil asked suddenly, the past few days coming back to him.

"Kel's fine, provided he heals up. Yuthura…" Carth's voice trailed off, but Dustil knew.

"That wasn't the way she was supposed to go." He whispered.

The curtain to the ward opened and Revan walked in. "Where were you, sunbathing?" Dustil asked amusingly. Revan self-consciously touched his face. It was deeply burned with some scarring from the explosion in the Sith caves.

"How do you feel?" Revan asked gently. Dustil shrugged.

"Well, this makes falling into that bantha poodoo on Tatooine feel like swimming in a pool." He said finally. A nurse walked in and injected a syringe into Dustil's arm before walking out again.

"Do you think you're well enough to continue?" Revan asked. Dustil knew what he meant.

"Yeah…and there's no way that you're dropping me off on Coruscant with Kel and Dad. I kinda' like this danger gig you've got going on here." Dustil shrugged, glancing at his father who silently nodded his head in approval.

"What about you Carth?" Revan asked quietly.

"I already know we're going to be on Coruscant for a while, regardless of who leaves or not. The Republic and the Jedi Council will want a full debriefing of what's been going on, seeing as we somehow manage to attract the Sith wherever we go." Carth noted "I'm probably going to go back to active duty in the Republic, pending the examination that usually comes with promotion. I can't say I have 100% approval on Dustil's decision to stay, but if he does, he'll need time in a kolto tank to be fully recovered."

"How about we decide after we land on Coruscant?" Bastila sighed as she strolled in "We're landing as I speak."

**Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

_The orange orb that was Coruscant's sun sank slowly on the horizon, painting an amazing orange and blue haze over the Jedi Temple._

_ Revan sat in one of the many enormous hallways, staring out of one of the many windows that covered the perimeter corridors._

_ "Got something on your mind?" Revan turned his head, and was not surprised to see the ghostly apparition of Jolee Bindo stroll over and sit cross-legged next to him._

_ "Most people never really understand the beauty of a simple sunset." Jolee commented after a while "Of course, most people nowadays are too busy fighting for their lives to take in such everyday luxuries."_

_ "Most people, except you." Revan chuckled dryly._

_ "Don't get technical with me!" Jolee scolded "I'm a spirit now, so show some respect for your elders."_

_ "Is there a reason?" Revan murmured quietly, smiling at Jolee's never-fading crazy mind._

_ "What, for me being here? Well, I'd like to ask that too, but then that would mean I was referring to myself in the third person, which would be too confusing and just make me angry." Jolee answered cryptically._

_ "This information I'm about to give you will be critical for your future, but it will also present you with some tough choices." He continued "Ready?" Revan nodded._

_ "When Malak attacked your flagship, your mind wasn't destroyed. Bastila used the Force to heal you, thus creating your bond. But your mind was perfectly safe. The Jedi Council made a controversial decision that day when you arrived with Bastila after being healed. They would wipe your memories and give you a fresh start as a Republic soldier serving under Bastila."_

_ "What?" Revan gasped "But…Bastila said…"_

_ "The Jedi Council thought it was for the best. Bastila probably didn't want to hurt you." Jolee sighed "I knew this was going to happen. Kids these days, no stamina. But your memories are piecing together, correct? Good. I really can't say much more, but I can tell you this. __**His hunger will point the way**__." With that, he disappeared._

Revan awoke, still sitting cross-legged in front of the window "Thanks a lot old man…" he grumbled "That's _really_ helpful. There are a lot of 'his's in the galaxy."

Suddenly, he felt Bastila's voice through their bond _'Revan, I need you…'_ He stood up and stalked off. There were some questions he needed answered.

* * *

The decision to decide the color of Dustil's blade will be ended by Friday, August 13 (Watch out for Jason-hehehe...)

So far, blue is in the lead.-Seriously people, every Jedi has blue. Why not some diversity for once?

Please R & R!


	14. Chapter 14: Jedi Trials

And the vote is done!

There were so many comments on the lightsaber colors of blues that I tallied them just as blue.

The votes were:

-Blue 2

-Viridian 1

-Bronze 1

-Black 1

* * *

Bastila smiled as the door opened. "Revan, there's something…" Her lover walked past her and stood at the window.

"Did you know?" He asked quietly. Bastila could hear the hint of deep fury in his voice. She also knew exactly what he was talking about. Some of the side-effects of their bond weren't as good as others.

"Yes, I did." She replied slowly.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Revan asked, still not turning around.

"I didn't want to hurt you…" Revan wheeled around and glared at her.

"_**HURT ME?**_ I had the right to know. _I had the right!_" He exclaimed, putting his hands to his forehead "God…all this time, I thought you trusted me enough to be truthful. I could have handled the truth if you told me. In fact, it would have been great if the Council had told me!" Bastila was close to tears as he said these words. Revan immediately stopped.

"...I-I'm sorry…" he said gently, putting his hand to her shoulder.

"Do you love me?" Bastila asked quietly, looking at him. Revan glanced at her in shock.

"Of course! Why would you doubt me?"

"No, you misunderstand. Would you love me, no matter what happens, no matter what hardships we endure?"

Revan sighed and let her sob into his shoulder "I will always love you, no matter what. Why?"

Bastila smiled sadly at him, before uttering two words:

"I'm pregnant."

**Cargo Hold, **_**Ebon Hawk**_

[Statement: I knew this would always happen. Possible theory: Perhaps it was that time just after the Battle in the Rakatan System while they were in the Cargo Hold-Enraged Statement: I know that you're behind that cargo container you little beeping trashcan!] Teethree rolled out and beeped angrily at him.

[Blooopp….beep-bwat! Doooo…Beep Dee-dee Bee-reeeet Brank! _You're spying….How typical of you! You're just a…no-good dusty box-headed malfunctioning assassin droid who can't keep his masters safe!_]

[Threat: Little droid, you are seriously asking to be thrown off the nearest cliff or building!] Teethree responded by shocking him [Outraged Statement: That's it!]

Zaalbar sighed as he trudged toward the _Ebon Hawk_. The conversation he had just had with Freyyr had shaken him. The old Wookie had been injured during a raid into the Shadowlands and wanted Zaalbar to act on his promise and return to Kashyyyk.

The sounds of blasterfire and banging brought his mind back to the present. Withdrawing Bacca's Ceremonial Blade from its scabbard, he advanced up the boarding ramp.

Several mechanics working nearby an orange-and-grey _Dynamic_-class freighter nearly fainted with fright as a large fury heap roared and rolled down the boarding ramp, being propelled by a distraught T3 unit which had been thrown at the fury creature.

The fury mess, now identifiable as a Wookie, roared and charged at an HK protocol droid running down the ramp. Both collided in a whirlwind of arms and metal.

"What in tarnation is going on here?" Dustil roared, being pushed past the ship on his hoverchair by two nurses.

[Statement: Younger Onasi, the little trashbin electrocuted me and started a fight! Then the big dirty Wookie went and began pulling my arms out of their sockets!]

"_No I didn't!_" Zaalbar muttered, slowly inching away. HK glared at him and resumed his assault of the Wookie, who simply threw him into one of the landing struts. HK responded by blasting Zaalbar with a gas spray, sending the Wookie in a coughing fit. "Here we go again…" Dustil sighed, as the nearby mechanics and the nurses ran in to pull the two apart. He covered his ears as several loud oaths and screams came from the dust cloud that was the fight.

**Bastila's quarters, Jedi Temple**

"How long have you known?" Revan asked quietly as they lay on the bed.

"I began feeling the symptoms of my pregnancy not long after we returned to Coruscant after that battle with the Sith frigate." Bastila sighed "I went to Tatooine to visit my mother and to ask her advice."

"We arrived on Coruscant and had the test done…and I was pregnant. Of course, you were busy nearly getting killed so it wasn't the best time to tell you." She chuckled and playfully elbowed him. Revan just stared at her dumbfounded.

"A child…" Revan said slowly "…born from two Force-strong parents. Are you…you know…having it?" Bastila whimpered and snuggled into the nook between his shoulder and head.

"I want to…the Jedi code doesn't look well upon killing…"

"No," Revan interrupted her "I asked whether you wanted to keep it. Screw the Code and the Order."

"Yes…" Bastila smiled through her tears before gently kissing Revan. After a few moments, Revan pulled back.

"You'll make a great mother…" Revan whispered gently, pushing her hair back from her face before kissing her again…

_ The figure sat on the throne in a room full of darkness…he was fighting so many…couldn't attack the figure in the throne…warships attacking an innocent world…a young woman Jedi as the Grand Master…betrayal and deception…_

Bastila awoke in a cold sweat. This vision was of the future, not the past, not _her_ past. That young woman seemed awfully familiar. Wiping her hands over her damp forehead, she glanced over to the chair that Revan had been sleeping in. She could sense he had gone out to think.

Walking into the refresher, she sighed with pleasure as the cold water woke what parts of her face that had not woken up yet. It was 0400 hours, and most of the Temple was asleep.

Throwing on a blue shift, she tied the unique length of silk that dangled around her neck and hung at her knees around her waist with her belt. Looking at her belly, she wondered how it would look like when her pregnancy increased…

**Temple Hangar, Jedi Temple**

"We really can't leave you two alone for more than a few seconds, can we?" Mission sighed as she reattached Teethree's front-right leg. In the corner of her line of vision, she saw a familiar man walking towards the group. She also saw the nervous look on his face.

"Conference and examination begins later today?" She chuckled. Carth Onasi gave her a look and a hollow laugh.

"Many still don't like Revan, and the fact that I traveled with him, watched his back all this time…" Mission cut him off.

"Relax…breathe….Hee…hooo….hee-ACK#**$^#!" She said, breathing deeply in…and coughing violently.

"_Next time…don't do this right after someone walks by with an open fuel tank…_" Zaalbar chuckled.

Revan walked unsteadily into the hangar. Carth glanced sternly at him, and then gasped with shock. "Revan…..have you…_been drinking?_" Revan responded with a lopsided grin…and collapsed.

**Med Bay**_**, Ebon Hawk**_

"Times like this and I miss the old man." Mission sighed as Revan finally came to in the med bay. He instantly wished he hadn't.

"Oh…my head. So that's what a hangover feels like." Carth glared at him.

"Why the hell were you drinking? And what was it?" Revan looked at him with a pitiful silent plea.

"Tarisian ale…Corellian ale…Bothan spice-wine…I lost count after the first twenty shots." Revan groaned, clutching his aching forehead.

"Why?" Mission asked, turning her head away in disgust as Revan puked into a bowl that Zaalbar was holding.

"To forget about my woes…life…everything…" Revan sighed, wiping his mouth before continuing.

"Bastila's pregnant…"

**Ten minutes later…**

The crew just stared at Revan. Carth had fainted. Dustil just sat in his hoverchair, mouth open in shock.

"So…you and Bastila…you know…hooked up a power coupling?" Mission said finally. The spell of shock was broken and everyone, save for Revan, began cracking up.

"Come on guys, this is serious!" Revan roared "Me, a father? I'm not exactly the kind of role model someone wants to come in for 'Bring your parents to school' Day." Carth woke up.

"Ok, for starters, I was not expecting that. Secondly, I'm fine." He said, shaking his head.

"You'll make a great father!" Mission said cheerfully "And we'll help him…like we're his god-parents!" The look Revan gave her had thousands of words of gratitude and _"Pleeaaassseee tell me you're joking"_ in it.

"Is it a…" Carth asked, trailing off.

"It's a boy." Revan sighed "Bastila found out when she went to visit her mother. You guys can't tell the Council…or anyone for that matter."

"Right, the Jedi Code forbids love, attachment, and compassion." Dustil nodded "But shoving that aside, we need to focus on the present. Bastila's pregnancy means that we have to get her away from Coruscant before it becomes obvious. And in case you've forgotten, my lightsaber is bust. Stupid Sith explosion blew it in two. Ah well, I should have built a new one instead of just replacing the crystal in my Sith lightsaber. Cheap piece of shit…"

"That will take some time, but we need to have a bigger excuse, one that will take longer, so that Bastila will be away when our son is born." Revan argued. "But you're right Dustil. You need a lightsaber, a _proper_ one. Not only that…"

**Jedi Council Chambers**

"Revan, you understand the importance of your request?" Master Vandar said slowly, not believing what the Prodigal Knight had just asked of the Council.

"Yes Master Vandar. I would like to take Dustil Onasi as my Padawan."

"How do we know you will not encourage him to stray to the Dark Side, like you did?" Atris snapped. Her icy demeanor was ever-present.

"With respect Master Atris, I do not know, but you do not know. The future is always in motion." Revan argued "Dustil needs guidance, and I have experience of rehabilitation from the Dark Side, which brings up my next point…"

**An hour later…**

"Your argument is quite persuasive." Master Kavar noted "I for one have no argument in letting you and your companions investigate the recent attacks on the Republic and Jedi, seeing as how you saved the Republic. The Council has debated, and we will grant your request…but Dustil Onasi must be your first priority."

"Revan, I hope you do not look at the Council in a different light on account of your recent revelation." Master Vash apologized "The Council did what we thought was right at the time."

"Of course Master." Revan nodded. "I trust in your wisdom." Then he strolled out.

Vandar rested his chin in his hands as he watched the Prodigal Knight disappear into the turbolift.

"Either we have just made a new enemy today, or a new Revan."

"Is there a difference?"

**Illum**

"I really wish we could have gone somewhere else…" Dustil gulped, looking nervously at the dark caves which housed one of the largest supplies of Jedi crystals…and one of the most revered Trials spot for Padawans.

"…I mean, Yavin IV has a _really great_ volcanic tube network which I'm sure has a whole bunch of crystals…"

"The problem with lava tube crystals, or any crystals found in a volcano or something similar…" Revan chided him "…is that the intense heat usually melts the outer layer and reforms it, which can cause the crystal to become unstable if used as a power source for your lightsaber."

"Secondly, with the volatile way that most volcanic crystals are made, there are almost always a few flaws in the gems." Bastila added.

"Man, is this place cold or what?" Mission shivered, readjusting her heavy snow goggles, which deflected the snow and provided light in the dark.

"That's why you decided to stay in the ship." Revan grumbled "Really, if you don't like the cold, then why did you come down the boarding ramp with us?"

"The starboard dormitory is right next to the boarding ramp genius" Mission shot back "It doesn't matter whether I sleep or not. And speaking of which…_**WHY THE HELL ARE WE DOING THIS AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING?**_"

"To be early is to be on time…to be on time is to be late…" Bastila replied.

"Fine, be cryptic and quote old Jedi textbooks." Mission growled.

"That's not a Jedi saying." Revan sighed "It's a saying of the famous musician, Amy Silver. She teaches her students that if you plan leave for somewhere on time, you usually wait until the last minute and therefore if a problem comes up, you are late to arrive. If you plan to leave early, then even with the problem, you still arrive on time, or you're early."

"And we want to do this before that blizzard the Republic outpost on this planet told us was heading our way hits the caves. If the ship stays here when that blizzard hits, then either it'll be buried by the snow or our engines will freeze up. That's why you guys are going to wait in orbit. We'll comm you in a day or so."

"_Well, we'll be waiting for your signal._" Zaalbar replied, waving goodbye to them.

"This place was long ago transformed into a Jedi Temple…" Revan explained quietly to Dustil as they ventured into the mouth of the caves "…many Jedi recorded their histories on these walls for future generations. The cave walls are made of a naturally shiny black stone that absorbs light, rather than reflecting it like any polished surface. The Force is strong here."

Dustil stared at the many darkened tunnels covering the walls of the entrance cavern. "Will I need a weapon?" He asked nervously.

"What you will encounter in there will only be what you take with you." Bastila replied. Dustil nodded silently before removing his blaster pistol and combat rig.

"Once you have located your Adegan crystal, you will find a natural bridge that weaves in-between the pillars of stone. It ends in a large cavern, where you will find a dais and materials for building your lightsaber." Revan told Dustil.

"Do not expect this task to be easy." Bastila warned him "You will be tempted many times. The path to the crystal will challenge your very soul. We cannot say more."

In unison, they bade farewell to him before leaving: "Good luck Dustil."

**Crystal Caves, Ilum**

Dustil watched as his breath formed mist in the cold air of the caves. He had no idea where to go, or how he would know which crystal was his.

Plus, he was sure that the cave was watching him, like as in a person.

"You're pathetic" Dustil wheeled around. Standing against a pillar was a face he thought he would never see again.

"_Selene?_" He gasped "No...you're not real. This is all some trick of the Force."

"Believe what you want." Selene sighed, strolling to another pillar "That doesn't change the past: You were the reason I died."

"What? No!" Dustil exclaimed "Master Uthar had you murdered!"

"If you hadn't come to the Sith Academy, then I wouldn't have died!" Selene roared "I always hated you. The only reason I wanted you to come to the Academy with me was so I could blame any mishap on you! But you knew…and you made sure I never got the chance!"

"That's not true!" Dustil shot back "I was not responsible! You can't taint my memories of Selene!" Selene smiled, before her face exploded and left her with a head…but where there should have been a face, there was just skin. Then she faded away.

Dustil breathed in deeply. The encounter with Selene had deeply shaken him, and he realized the quest for a crystal was going to be much harder than he thought.

Venturing into another section, he found many glowing blue crystals growing out of the walls, but none of them seemed _right_. Growling with frustration, he was almost ready to turn back…

"How typical…" Dustil gulped. That voice was _very_ familiar, and he was sure he knew who she was…

"Always ready to give up, you coward!" It was as if no time had passed. His mind shifted back to that terrible day…

_He was playing with some friends. His mother was calling for him to come in. It was dinnertime. Dustil didn't want to. He was having so much fun…_

_Suddenly, two pale arms grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up. The little boy groaned and complained heatedly. Strange, how alien that voice sounded now. His mother was in a pale blue summer dress, with beige coloring around her lower torso. Her soft brown hair whirled around as she laughed and held her son._

_Dustil screamed as the house was illuminated in bright red light. His mother put him down and whipped around. Her eyes widened. Dustil was struck dumb with fear as he saw starfighters and bombers begin to pour out of cruisers that were entering the atmosphere. Above them, he could still see the burning wrecks of what had been the meager Republic fleet orbiting Telos IV._

_Morgana was now tugging him along by his hand. Maybe they could reach the small family speeder. Maybe…_

_A fighter swooped overhead and lanced the speeder with bolts of red, turning it into a smoking ruin. Dustil ripped his hand out of his mother's and ran. She ran after him, blood trickling out of several scratches on her head. Dustil just ran. He had to find somewhere safe. He had to…_

_A turbolaser bolt struck the house, sending shrapnel and debris flying. Morgana screamed as a metal beam struck her across the back, sending her sprawling to the ground. Still, Dustil ran. Morgana attempted to get up, before flopping back down, coughing up blood…_

The battered and scarred face of Morgana Onasi sneered and him and laughed darkly "Where were you that day on Telos? You let me die and blamed it on your father!"

"NO!" Dustil roared "It wasn't my fault! The Sith killed you!"

"You could have saved me! You could have deflected that turbolaser bolt with the Force! You knew you had potential!" Morgana sneered.

"No…" Dustil argued "I didn't…"

"You knew you were always special. Always finding things that you possibly couldn't have known where they were. You knew you could have stopped that bolt, but you ran! Little coward! You wouldn't have had to even try if you hadn't run away from me!"

She exploded in a brilliant flash of light and faded away. Dustil cried out and huddled against the wall. Suddenly, it was as if he was that boy again, scared and confused.

"Got something on your mind?"

Dustil peered up over his arms. There was Jolee Bindo, so lifelike, just as Dustil remembered him. He even had that never-fading scowl.

"Well, it's to be expected. Not everyone makes it through the caves. Then again, what do I know? I'm just the apparition of the dead only-Jedi-who-spent-his-life-as-a-Padawan in the room." With that he disappeared.

Dustil stood, more confused than upset. Shaking his head, he looked back at the tunnel and slowly advanced. The fear began to return, eating away at his mind, searching for cracks, threatening to overwhelm him…

_** "Once you start down the path to the Dark Side, it will forever dominate your destiny…"**_

_** "I will always love you and your father my son…"**_

_** "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate…leads to suffering…"**_

_** "Have courage my apprentice…"**_

_** "You're not to blame for my death Dustil…"**_

_** "Never let the Dark Side control your fate…"**_

_** "Stay strong Dustil, make me proud…"**_

The voices seemed to come out of nowhere and everywhere. Dustil felt a sense of calm rush over him. This time, he knew exactly who these voices were from. His family and friends, both alive and from the afterlife, were lending him their strength. The visions were still there though, but the voices shielded him from them, guiding him towards his destiny.

Amidst a vision of the bombing of Telos, Dustil found what he was looking for. A cluster of the palest blue crystals. Reaching his hand forward in the explosion that destroyed his house, he pulled out three of them.

The visions guided him to the bridge, where the voices left him, but not before encouraging him as one:

_** "We will always be with you Dustil…"

* * *

**_

The bridge hugged the many pillars and walls of the caves, and seemed to have no end. Finally, he arrived at his destination.

In the center of a large cavern, a small plateau rose up from the ground far below. Upon it, a small dais of polished black stone and a familiar figure stood waiting for him.

"Congratulations my apprentice." Revan smiled as Dustil walked up, shaken, but otherwise unhurt.

"What do I do now?" Dustil asked anxiously.

"You will build your lightsaber. Do not rely on the instructions you memorized on Coruscant. Do what you feel is right, and you will do fine."

Dustil breathed in deep and exhaled, before sitting cross-legged in front of the dais, which Revan lowered with the Force to Dustil's level.

"The Force flows through me…" Dustil whispered; his eyes closed. Picking up a small grey pipe, he cut it in half with a plasma torch. He then called a black binding wrapper to his hand and wrapped it around the larger tube half. Then he cut a small hole in the top part of the pipe.

"…it controls my movements…" He inserted the crystal matrix and diatium power within the pipe and sealed one end with a polished obsidian pommel. The pommel had been sharpened to a point at the back end.

"…lends me strength…" Taking a small object out of his pocket, he inserted it on top of the open end of the pipe. It was his mother's charm from her necklace, the one his father had given her on their engagement day. A small golden tube with a silver ring spiraling down it and an emerald with a miniature Onasi family crest engraved in it embedded in the side of the tube. He then carefully wrapped the silver-weave necklace chain around the rest of the incomplete lightsaber.

"…banishes the darkness…" He carefully placed the three pale blue crystals into their slots. Two served as the primary while the smaller one served as the focusing crystal. Fitting on a sloped ring to the top, he carefully placed the small power cell right below it.

"…guides my destiny…" The focusing lense, provided by Revan, was a flat lapis lazuli gem, cut so thin that it was translucent. He carefully fitted the focusing lense into the sloped ring.

"…I am it…" The activator switch was next, a small metal button encircled by gold. He carefully placed it in the hole he had cut earlier, carefully to make sure it fit into the power generator.

"…it is me…" The lightsaber was almost complete. Now for the finishing touch. Taking four thin pieces of metal, basically a rectangle that jutted at a downward angle at the ends, he attached them to the top of his lightsaber. They now encircled where the blade was.

"…The Force will always be with me." With that, Dustil stood up and opened his eyes. Admiring his work, he thumbed the activator switch and watched as the cyan bar of light erupted from the hilt.

"Well done Dustil." Revan smiled, patting his apprentive affectionately on the back "Well done…"

**Cave of Knowledge, Ilum**

"How many Jedi carved their histories here?" Dustil asked in wonder, staring at the two-story high cave walls and the natural stone steps that allowed Jedi to reach the top and carve their histories high up in the rock wall.

"As many as those who came here to create their lightsabers, so quite a few Jedi." Revan chuckled. He himself had come here with his first Master, Arren Kae.

"This cave contains all of the teachings and histories of the Jedi Order." Bastila murmured, running her hand over a detailed inscription of the discovery of the Force on Tython "Even the most ancient story of the Jedi: The discovery of the Force on Tython for one. The First and Second Jedi Schism in the Order."

Inside of Revan, something snapped into place. His dream from so long ago, the female Grand Master and the Republic soldier…that Enclave…_it was all on Tython_! What was more, he realized with a cold feeling sinking into his stomach that he knew exactly who that woman resembled. Glancing over at Bastila, he smiled as she waved at him.

"This is an impressive lightsaber." Bastila congratulated Dustil, handling the weapon "Fluid, sturdy grip, a touch of your life…" She glanced at him "A perfect weapon for a Guardian or someone who has faced a terrible tragedy in his life. Its design indicates that its maker can take it out easily in case of a fight. It can be used as a weapon either activated or not, suggesting that its user has some experience in regular combat and once followed the dark side."

"An experienced Jedi and duelist can learn a lot about a Jedi by their lightsaber." Revan explained to Dustil, whose mouth was gaping open.

"A lightsaber is an extension of the Jedi." Bastila smiled, handing the hilt back to Dustil "This is a true work of art as well."

* * *

Everyone knows who that Grand Master woman was!

Please R & R!


	15. Chapter 15: Smoke on the water

**Sorry about how long it took to update. Spent a week in L.A. getting a nice tan.**

**As a reminder, Kel is currently on Manaan, undergoing recuperation as well as training under Jedi Master Qual, a Selkath.**

**The Order of Shasa was founded by Shasa, one of the Selkath who was tricked by the Sith but saved thanks to Revan investigating on behalf of her father, Shelkar. They are neutral, neither aligning themselves with the Sith or Jedi. However, Shasa still seeks advice from Force-sensitive groups, like the Baran Do Sages and the Jedi Order.**

* * *

Main Hold, Ebon Hawk

[And I win] Kel said. His face broke out into a big grin.

"Not fair!" Mission protested "You pulled a double-cross on me! It has to be against the rules to place a destroyer in the nebula!" Kel just continued smiling and began to redeploy his vessels.

[Any word from Revan?]

"Not that we know of. That storm's interfering with our transmissions. From what we were able to get from Revan during a brief lull, they've hunkered down in one of the caverns until the blizzard ends."

[Ahh…] Kel nodded and launched three squadrons of S-250 _Chela_-class bombers from his flagship. Following closely behind were several heavy bulk cruisers, from which Aurek tactical strikefighters were being launched in a continuous stream. The A-wings entered her capital ships' firing zone and she began to decimate them.

[Fell for it…] Kel's bombers flew in and launched several high-yield baradium missiles at one of her command vessel's command tower, causing it to explode a few seconds later.

"So how's the weather on Manaan?" Mission asked, sighing as her vessel exploded in one large orange sphere of fire.

[Well, there's a storm raging outside of my window as we speak. Several sections of the seawall collapsed so Selkath rescue workers are trying to patch the holes and check for any missing personnel.] Kel said, looking sideways to where Mission assumed was the window of his room.

"What?" Mission asked curiously.

[Funny…] Kel said, frowning [Could have sworn I saw something duck out of sight.]

"Why would anyone be outside during the middle of a storm?" Mission asked.

[That's what I'm wondering-] The screen turned to static for a second as Kel was hurled against it. When the transmission finally cleared, there was a crack straight down the middle where Kel had impacted against it.

"What's going on over there?" Mission said frantically.

[…_static_…The whole room just shook.] Kel fumbled for a moment as he retrieved his lightsaber. Mission could see rain pouring behind Kel, a sure sign that his window had been smashed open.

[Some sort of gunship…I can't really tell what make it is in this weather…They're bombarding Ahto City!]

**Senate Rotunda, Coruscant**

"Commander Carth Onasi reporting as ordered sirs!" Carth saluted. He stood in the visitor's pod, a poor joking reminder that Telos IV no longer had a seat in the Senate until it could be rebuilt to accommodate the refugees that currently were scattered throughout the galaxy.

"Captain Onasi," Senator Tas Melor of Corellia began "In your service aboard the _Endar Spire_ and your hand the events that transpired after its destruction, how would you describe your view on Revan's…_redemption_ during that time?"

"Revan was a true comrade-in-arms, and I trust him with my life." Carth said formally "Don't play me for a fool. This meeting is more than just about my promotion examination. This is about my influence with Revan."

"Senator Melor speaks out of turn, perhaps…" Chancellor Cressa barked sternly, giving Melor a look that could have been mistaken for a supernova.

"What we are trying to do is understand the threat that the Revanchist poses to the Republic." Senator Mil De-Pressa of Mon Calamari explained in her musical voice "His influence over you gives him ties into the Republic Navy. I for one think that the question should be this. No roundabout ways of presenting it, but this: When it comes to Revan, or the Sith for any matter, can you be relied upon to do the right thing? I ask because the other crewmembers of the _Ebon Hawk_ gave detailed descriptions of your searing hatred for former Admiral Saul Karath."

Carth was silent for a moment. "I acknowledge that my behavior over the past few years concerning Saul Karath has been…temperamental and provocative at best. Telos was a crushing blow for me, not just the Republic. So my answer is yes. When it comes to the Sith, I will always stand by the Republic."

"This is a promise that few who make it keep." Senator Demon Antilles of Alderaan piped in. An ancient wizened veteran of the Great Sith War, he would soon be passing on the title of Senator to his son, Mason. "For the record, I for one believe that Onasi has proven himself worthy of his title. He has faced many trials and temptations, but has pulled through. _However_, I knew many other good men and women who were just like you Carth. They swore an oath to protect the Republic, but darkness crept into their hearts. One who begins on the path of the light can still choose the darkened path at the crossroads of their journey." With that, he bowed his head and sat down.

"What's your opinion?" Carth muttered to the dark-haired man sitting behind him, fidgeting with his dress uniform in the way of someone not used to formality.

"What, how you've been doing so far? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the next Dodonna and 1 being the captain of a dropship, I'd rate you about a 9.5." Jori sighed, glancing over Carth's shoulder as the hammerhead Ithorian Senatorial pod levitated forward, carrying a familiar face.

"Chodo Habat," Cressa began "You are Force-sensitive, correct?"

"Yes," Chodo rumbled. The caf mug next to Cressa wobbled and levitated for a few seconds. There was chuckling from all present.

"You have the rare ability to sense a person's future, correct?"

"I have the power of foresight if that is what you meant." Chodo nodded.

"And what do you see of Carth's future?"

Chodo paused for a moment, studying Carth. "The power of foresight does not allow me to focus specifically on the intended target, but only gives me a rough impression of their future. However, if it ties in with others' futures, I will only get a sense of what that moment is for them as a whole."

Cressa bowed his head deeply. "I ask again, what do you see of Carth's future?"

Chodo held up his hand and reached for a glass of water, which he drank simultaneously from both mouths. Then he closed his eyes and began concentrating.

"There is much pain in his future. Regret for a lost one…no, for lost _ones_." At this, several glances were exchanged, along with several furtive looks at the abandoned pod which had once held the Senatorial group from Telos before the bombardment by Darth Malak.

"A sense of duty…a promise made to a friend…a bright light standing alone amongst a sea of shadows…a Jedi…a woman." Chodo opened his eyes and frowned "She holds the deepest sorrow…a wound…I-I have a…connection to her future…"

"Darkness lies in all of our fates…it cannot be avoided…again this woman…a gathering…ending in death…" Chodo stopped.

"I cannot decipher what I have seen, but this much is clear: in the unknown period of time I have seen, Carth stands with the Republic."

Cressa nodded "Thank you Master Habat. We will adjourn for now. Oh, and by the way Carth, my best wishes to your son and the trials he is facing right now." Carth smiled nervously. As he maneuvered the pod back to its berth, the alarm klaxon began to wail.

[Attention all personnel. We have received a Priority One distress signal from Manaan.] The loudspeaker crackled as the voice of Chief Justice Shelkar of the Ahto City Court filled the Rotunda.

[…_this is Chief Justice Shelkar_…static…_Priority One distress _call…_we-_…_attack_…_unknown battle group_…_breached East Ahto_…_requesting immediate assistance!_...]

The entire Rotunda was silent for a few eternal seconds. Then, it was filled with noise, every Senator panicking while Chancellor Cressa was trying to calm everyone down. Carth sighed and grabbed a stun rifle from one of the guards before firing it into the air. Like magic, everyone froze. Cressa cleared his throat and gave Carth a look of gratitude.

"Manaan has called for aid! We cannot sit around and debate about it! Too many worlds have already been ravaged by the bloody war that which we are still reeling from! I will not allow it to continue any longer!" Cheers echoed all over. "Alert Admiral Dodonna! I swear now, I will not allow Manaan to fall!"

Carth gave a sigh of relief at the hastiness of the Senate's response. His comlink chirped.

"Commander Onasi, you are being promoted to acting-captain of the _Rimrunner_. Report to your station immediately!" Carth sighed and began running down the hall,

"Never a moment to relax in this job…" He muttered to himself as he hailed down an air taxi.

**Main Hold, **_**Ebon Hawk**_

"But we can't just leave you in the middle of a blizzard!" Mission protested. The storm had lessened up a bit and for the past few minutes, she and Zaalbar had been having a shouting match with Revan.

[I don't like it either, but we can afford to delay. You can't.] Just over an hour ago, the _Ebon Hawk_, and any other armed vessels with ties to the Republic Navy, had received the order to join the Republic fleet en route to Manaan.

[Kel's on Manaan, and I have the feeling that he, Master Qual, and any other Jedi are going to be targets for whoever's attacking the city.] Revan paused and looked sorrowfully at her [I'm giving you an order Mission. Break orbit and head to Manaan. We'll be fine.]

With a mighty groan of despair that matched the howling of a certain Wookie sitting in the co-pilot's chair, the _Ebon Hawk_ broke free of Ilum's orbit and disappeared into hyperspace.

* * *

The floor dropped from beneath Carth as the _Rimrunner_ emerged from hyperspace. He was immediately grateful for the new _Guard_-class cruiser's improved shielding. The vessel rocked again, as it returned fire with the small corvette which had fired upon it.

The bow of the cruiser was shaped like a tapered rectangle lying on its long end, with two engine pods on either side. Beneath it was a ventral "fin". A long horizontal pillar connected it with another, slightly more elevated, rectangle with two more "fins" jutting out from the top and bottom. Both fins held numerous engines and cannon turrets, along with the majority of the vessel's launch bays.

Bright light and flames filled the viewports of the command deck, as the corvette's shields overloaded.

"Sir," one of the bridge personnel said urgently "Our scanners read four heavy corvettes-minus the one we just took out-in orbit above Ahto City."

"That's impossible!" Carth said "Whoever's behind this must have known that four corvettes wouldn't stand against a full Republic fleet!"

"They're retreating!" The lieutenant at the navigations console said with disbelief "…hold on…one corvette is holding position-scratch that, it's breaking orbit but isn't going into hyperspace…"

"Keep a sensor lock on it, but I don't want any ship attacking it." Carth barked quickly "Begin landing our troops and medical units. Allow the corvette to continue whatever it's doing. Let's see what they're up to…"

**Ahto East Central, Ahto City, Manaan**

Shasa gulped as she glanced around the corner. In the brief flashes of light given off by sparking wires, she could see three heavily armed humanoids covered head-to-toe in black armor advancing through the plaza.

Gripping her fira sword, forged in the dangerous heat of an underwater volcano vent from a fragment of a cortosis-containing hull fragment from the remnants of the kolto harvester of Hrakert Station, Shasa inched forward.

Across the plaza, the shadows moved, mimicking her precise movements. Shasa glanced at them and held up her three fingers, before folding one down, and then the other one…

When her hand was closed into a fist, her hidden Force-sensitive trainees leaped out from the shadows and onto the commandos' backs. With several well-placed strikes, they rendered the commandos unconscious.

"It's nice not having to do all the work by myself." Kel grinned, shuffling out from another corridor, green lightsaber in hand.

With all due respect, I doubt you could have taken on three heavily armed commandos in your current state Shasa pointed out. Suddenly, without warning, she whipped out her blaster pistol and fired in Kel's direction. The Jedi ducked and the bolt caught the man sneaking up behind him in the forehead.

Kel frowned and used the Force to unbuckle the man's belt and two bandoleers from his body. Clipped to them were several grenades, blaster pistols, combat daggers, collapsible staffs, datapads, and shockingly, several shotos and one regular length lightsaber. Upon Kel's activation of it, a bar of dark purple shot out from the hilt.

I don't understand. Is this a Jedi? Shasa asked curiously, calling one of the shotos to her hand. Its blade was deep crimson.

"No, a crimson blade almost always means its owner is a servant of the dark side of the Force." Kel corrected her "But the Sith were wiped out. Our attack on Korriban devastated them and the remainder killed themselves in power struggles and the like."

Tell that to h- One of the Selkath let out an ear-piercing scream as the red bar of energy emerged out of his forehead. Kel dropped to his knees, hands fumbling with his utility belt until he found what he was looking for: sonic dampeners. Quickly he put them on. Shasa and the others had a natural protection against it. The impaled Selkath fell to the floor, still screaming. It probably saved the others' lives, for the scream incapacitated the Selkath's killers as well.

Shasa and her remaining four initiates formed up behind Kel, and pointed their open hands at their lightsaber-wielding opponents. Several fell, clutching their heads as the Selkath telepathically overloaded their bodies with pain and fatigue.

Kel raised his own lightsaber and concentrated. With a mechanical arm he was still not used to, things would be difficult. With several sudden _snap-hiss_es, the lightsabers from the fallen man sprang to life and floated around Kel, who grinned and saluted the trio of dark-side Force-wielders before raising his blade in classic Ataru stance.

* * *

We're going to pull away from the True Sith for a while to introduce the Sith Triumvirate.

Please R & R!


	16. Chapter 16: Fire in the Sky

**Hi!**

**Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. School and all, I think I did a pretty bang-up job.**

**Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**

Troop transport

_**Blue Envoy**_**, en route to Ahto City**

"We've got incoming unidentified gunships and fighters on our six!" the pilot roared, pulling hard on the control stick, sending the shuttle rearing up while suddenly slowing down to a sixth of its speed. Carth and the others were rocked hard against their crash webbing as the large fluid transport ducked and weaved, trying to avoid the streams of cannon-fire and missiles coming its way. Around them, the other fighters and shuttles scrambled, some dropped behind to fire on their attackers' flanks, while others increased speed, hoping to outrun the pursuing vessels.

"Now we know why the vessels were so poorly armed and almost all fled when we arrived." Carth mused "They were just transports for these gunships, fighters, and troop transports." A bright explosion lit up the viewport behind him as another shuttle exploded before the remains were sent tumbling down to impact on the ocean surface.

A squad of S-250 _Chela_-class starfighters formed a formation around the main body of shuttles and carriers, providing a distraction while wings of Aurek tactical strikefighters sped into the enemy formation, unleashing hails of laser bolts at the Sith forces.

Carth breathed a sigh of relief as he received a message from one of the other shuttles that they had landed.

"If we can make it a little further, we can-" He was cut off midsentence as the transport flew into the path of a stream of laser fire. Several hit the main fuselage while the rest clipped off their starboard wing.

"We're losing altitude fast!" Jori roared from the co-pilot's seat. Fighting furiously with the controls, both he and the pilot attempted to level out the shuttle, but to no avail.

Carth fought back tears as the transport dipped into a sharp dive toward the ocean far below. It would be a while before impact, but they would almost certainly die…

[Attention Republic troop carrier _Blue Envoy_! This is Mission Vao piloting the light freighter _Ebon Hawk_. We're coming to your assistance. Oh, and by the way Carth, tell whoever's flying that thing to lay off the alcohol. Or is it you flying? Anyway, we're going to try and attempt a mid-air grappling.]

Carth would have broken the comm system right then and there had he not known the negative consequences. His troops had big grins plastered all over their faces. Carth glared at them. "Well, what are you waiting for? Prepare ascension cables and open the top hatch!"

The _Ebon Hawk_ flew through the streams of bolts surrounding the Republic group of shuttles and fighters.

Carth breathed deeply into the mask that covered his nose and mouth. He could barely see HK-47 standing on the opened boarding ramp holding what appeared to be a missile launcher in his grip. After several painstaking seconds, the droid fired the grappling line inside the launcher at the transport. It hit its mark and dug deeply into the hull plating. Several more grappling lines were attached to the transport before Zaalbar appeared beside HK-47 and fired another line. This had metal rings set at intervals along its length.

Immediately understanding the Wookie's intent, Jori began shimmying up the cable and clipped himself to one of the rings. The other Republic soldiers began doing the same.

Next, two rolls of ladders were thrown down from the boarding ramp. These were not secured to the transport. As the third group of soldiers began climbing the ladders, the transport began to shake and buckle.

"I can't keep her steady!" the pilot roared, furiously trying to level out the descent of the disintegrating vessel.

"Carth, grab on!" Jori roared. Carth struggled with himself. Only a third of the transport's complement of soldiers and medical officers had managed to secure themselves to the ladders. He couldn't have that many deaths on his hands.

"Hurry it up people!" He roared, shoving men and women onto the ropes and ladders. Had the ship been in space, they could have launched the escape pods, but in atmosphere was risky. The thrusters that launched the pod were designed to give it a kick in space. Firing them in the atmosphere could send the pod hurtling toward the ground if fired at the wrong angle. In addition, with the transport breaking up, only a fifth of the pods were operational.

Carth knew he had to think quick. "Begin loading up the escape pods!" Carth barked into his comlink.

"But sir, there's not nearly enough functioning pods for the troops left onboard-"

"Then load as many as you can into the cockpit module. Once the pods are launched, you will wait for 3 minutes. If we are not done evacuating by then, I _order_ you to jettison the cockpit escape craft. No questions. No arguments. Just do it."

"Aye, aye sir."

Zaalbar groaned as he pulled the first few Republic soldiers onto the boarding ramp. Because they were attached to the transport, the _Ebon Hawk_ was riding whatever the _Blue Envoy_ had in mind. It took all of Teethree and Mission's skills to keep the freighter's flight smooth.

[Carth, you have to get on now!] Jori's voice was barely audible above the howling wind, but to Carth, it drowned everything else. With a mighty roar, he hurled himself onto one of the ladders.

The transport gave one last mighty groan before its death roll stopped and gave way to the stages of decomposition. Huge pieces came loose, some barely missing the _Ebon Hawk_ while others ended the lives of crewmembers onboard the escape pods. As for the men and women still on the top hull, they were thrown off into oblivion.

Zaalbar groaned as a piece of debris hit one of the ropes, shredding it and killing whatever unlucky souls had been in its way. The lower half of the rope fell back, carrying screaming Republic personnel with it.

[Carth, you have…cut the…-pes…transp…is pulling us…CUT THE &*$&^#%!-] Mission's voice was silenced as Carth nearly dropped the comlink as he scrambled to regain his foothold.

"Cut the ropes!" he roared to the men on the bottom. Some produced vibroknives and began hacking at the fibers and wire.

Now it was the _Ebon Hawk_ that shook, as it was pulled down by the weight of the now-almost-a-debris-field-transport. Finally, the men succeeded in cutting the ropes, and the transport fell away beneath them. Sadly, that was the beginning of their problems.

* * *

Two of Shasa's adepts lay drowning in a pool of their own blood. The other one was fighting for her life back-to-back with Shasa.

Kel grunted as one of the Sith hit him with the pommel of her lightsaber across the back. He responded with a well-aimed kick to the solar-plexus, causing the air to go out of her in a big _whoosh_.

His mechanical arm was lying several feet away, and the smoking and sparking stump was still attached to his arm.

Shasa didn't know how it was possible, but before the fight had even begun, a score of black-armored Sith had materialized _out of thin air_ around the companions. Now Kel was ringed by the majority of the Sith while Shasa and Prezoc, her adept, were separated by him and being cornered against a wall.

Suddenly, the world melted around Shasa. It was like she was seeing it through a transparisteel wall and water was being poured down the wall. Her vision blurred for a moment, and then cleared to find her standing in a completely different section of Ahto East with Prezoc and a gasping Kel beside her. In front of them was a group of very confused Republic soldiers and Selkath security officers.

"I…_pant_…used the Force to get us out of there…" Kel managed to weeze. There were tiny cuts and burns all over his body, some still smoking. Two of the Republic soldiers ran forward to catch him in case he fall, but Kel shrugged them off.

There are more Sith coming from those hallways… Prezoc warne them, her body hunched over a cracked security console.

…and the party we just left are following us. Shasa said, extending her aura through the Force. She still had around half-power in her blaster and began scavenging for more power packs.

"Our blasters won't do much good against lightsabers Master Jedi," the sergeant in charge informed Kel.

One of the Republic soldiers withdrew a long sword. "We have cortosis-weave swords, but against a _Sith_…"

We can hold out…probably… Prezoc protested, wiping a trickle of blood from her forehead.

Kel let out a deep sigh and began coughing violently. "You two…there's a maintenance shaft in the corner, correct?" Shasa nodded. "Use that…to take these men to safety and head to the center of the city…find out what's going on."

What about you? Shasa asked, putting a webbed hand on Kel's shoulder.

"I'll cover your backs." Shasa gave him a worried look. "I'll be fine…now go!" Kel gasped, giving her a slight nudge in the direction of the grate. Shasa smiled sadly and ripped the cover off before climbing into it, followed by Prezoc. The Republic troops and Selkath crawled after them. The sergeant was the last to go. Just before he disappeared, he turned and threw Kel a salute. It occurred to Kel that he had never learned the man's name.

Now Kel was alone. It was odd, he thought as he fingered the small round object in his remaining hand, that he spent his whole life searching for his purpose and place in the galaxy only to find it at the end. How ironic was that?

Now he could hear the distant footsteps echoing and coming closer. What had he missed? What could he have seen? Images came to mind, those of laughing with friends at the Temple, his knighting ceremony, becoming a Jedi Master.

Time seemed to stand still. The first Sith barged into the room, blaster in hand. Without warning, he fired off a shot. Kel's eyes watered as pain spread through his abdomen. He realized, it wasn't his death flashing before his eyes, but his life.

_He could see Republic officers and Shasa storming out of a turbolift. One looked like Suunry, the man who Jolee had often talked about. He watched helplessly as Suunry dived in front of one of his men, taking a blaster bolt from a war droid._

_Suunry fell to the floor. Kel knew the shot had been fatal. Yet, before Suunry breathed his last, he looked directly at Kel, before dying with a puzzled expression on his face. He had seen Kel._

"Not so tough now are you, Jedi?" One of the Sith sneered, glancing at the pained young man who was struggling to stay upright. Kel was blinded by the pain and spat at the direction of the voice. A startled yelp told him he had hit the mark.

"Come on Jedi, is this how you spend your last few precious minutes of life?" Another Sith chuckled. More Sith poured in.

Kel glanced around. His vision was tinged with blood, but he could see Sith blocking all the exits, giving him no chance to escape. That was, if he even wanted to. Moving so slowly so that no one would notice, he nudged the grate cover back into place.

"Well Jedi?" The same Sith asked. The others began laughing.

"No…" Kel whispered, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth "This is…" He uncurled his hand, revealing a high-power plasma grenade. The laughter died in the throats of the Sith.

"Go…get…._borked_!" _**Beep**_.

**Skies above Ahto City**

"I"

"_Really_"

"Hate"

"SITH!"

[Reminder: You have said that already meatbag!]

"AND I REALLY HATE MACHINES!"

The survivors of the shuttle were hanging on for dear life as the _Ebon Hawk_ swerved around dogfights and avoided collisions while trying not to execute tight spins and the like unless the pilot wanted to knock the Republic soldiers off.

Carth's face was dried and pink from the cold. His men were having difficulty climbing the ropes and ladders in the middle of this air battle. In addition, the high altitude was causing some of them to start losing consciousness.

Jori had other ideas. "Those up front, fire your grappling lines down here! We'll attach them to our belts and use them to secure ourselves!"

The first few throws missed, but Jori caught the fifth one, and looped it three times around his belt before throwing it to the next man. That man looped it likewise around his belt and threw it to the next man…

"Mission, we're still losing men out here!" Carth snapped. With the wind pushing and shoving at them and with stray laser bolts flying, soldiers were either falling off or had their ropes shredded.

Up above, Zaalbar was tugging for all he was worth. Behind him, T3 had created and attached himself to an intricate series of pulleys in the cargo hold and would have been pulling save for the fact that HK had lifted him up and was using _him_ to pull. Suddenly the ship rocked and Zaalbar lost his grip on the rope and HK lost his hold on T3 for a moment, sending the screeching droid flying for a few moments before he caught him again.

Unknown to them, when HK had let the rope fly forward, it had bit into the boarding ramp. When he had begun pulling again, the rope began biting deeper in the boarding ramp, however, the ramp being the stronger of the two, began to cause the rope to cut into itself. What was worse, all of the ropes were tied together in one bundle, and now the steel rope rubbing against them, causing a chain reaction that would be devastating in a few minutes.

"Something's wrong!" Carth yelled. Even in the rollercoaster ride he was experiencing, he had felt the rope jerk a little. The others had felt it too.

"The ropes are breaking!" Jori realized with a start "Zaalbar, the ropes are breaking!" Zaalbar, who was too far up, couldn't hear them. But he felt it a few moments later, when the ropes slacked completely. Those Republic soldiers who had made it onboard and were pulling behind him felt it as well.

With a mighty tearing noise like claws on a chalkboard, the ropes fell away, sending Carth, Jori, and the others flying down.

"We're doomed-" _**WHUMP!**_

[Welcome aboard the _Glory of Cathar_. Please do not dent the hull or track mud on the floors.] crackled a familiar voice thick with a Catharian accent over the loudspeaker.

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere," Carth whispered, half-laughing and half-crying with emotion.

"Juhani!"

* * *

Please R & R!


	17. Chapter 17: And then there were three

**Note: By now, the Jedi have established a small training outpost in Ahto City under the supervision of Jedi Master Qual.**

**I recently discovered the mod for KOTOR II, which includes the extended Battle of Khoonda, the HK Manufacturing Plant, and the cut Malachor V ending where all the companions attack Kreia, Sion vs. Atton, etc. So I was inspired by HK'a sadistic comments, so expect those in the future!**

**-See what he says during the torture of the HK-50 droid on YouTube-Hilarious!**

* * *

Ahto East, Ahto City, Manaan

Shasa tried not to think of Kel's sacrifice. But she couldn't. Despite her efforts, the young Selkath had grown attached to the crippled Jedi despite her order's rule of not associating themselves with Jedi or Sith so they could remain neutral.

Now Shasa was left wishing that she could have had more time with Kel, or maybe have had some way to prevent his death. She had felt his Force presence wink out of existence the moment the explosion had gone off.

Now, she and Prezoc were leading the Republic troopers towards the besieged Republic Embassy. It seemed a suicide mission to her, what these Sith were doing. Only attacking with five small ships and then abandoning the hundreds of assault craft on the surface to the hope of being rescued by only one of the ships?

"We're here," The sergeant reported, as his men unscrewed the grate and tumbled out into the Embassy. Roland Wann and his security guards were startled, but relaxed when they saw who it was.

"The Sith are taking over the city," Roland informed them "All vessels have been sabotaged and we've barricaded ourselves in here but we don't have any means of escape."

There's no escape craft? Shasa asked incrediously No vessels at all?

Roland paused for a moment "Well, we do have the submersibles, but those can't hold more than five people apiece, and with the Firaxa sharks…"

How many do you have and how many people are sealed in here? Prezoc asked curiously.

"There's about two-score or so of technicians, soldiers, and scientists in here, along with about dozen or so of your students. We have two subs in deployment position and three more in storage. There's also wetsuits inside the subs, but that won't really work unless you're on the ocean-floor."

Those will do Shasa said Right, load what men you can into the subs. My adepts will guard them as they make their way to our base in the remains of Hrakert Station. As long as the Selkath are with the shuttles, the Firaxan will not attack. Prezoc, you will lead the group that goes down.

But what about you, Shasa? Prezoc protested.

I will stay here with the remaining Republic soldiers and Wann. Shasa said reluctantly And also…my father is still somewhere in the city. Prezoc cursed herself for forgetting. Shasa's father, Shaelas, had taken up studying with Master Qual after Revan had saved his daughter, to better understand the Jedi and their secrets. The last Shasa had heard from the small Jedi outpost (Which, being just two rooms, really didn't count as an outpost), was that the Sith were attacking it.

May the Force be with you, Shasa, Prezoc said finally, bowing deeply to Shasa before dividing the men and Order of Shasa Adepts into their submersible groups.

It usually never is… Shasa murmured, before nodding to Roland Wann, who motioned for two of his elite soldiers to follow her.

…with anyone…

* * *

Two _Dynamic_-class light freighters swooped down toward Ahto City, their bright orange engines trailing ionized particles which dissipated into the air.

One was grey and striped with bright orange, with a roaring Wookie occupying the top turret, an eager Twi'lek in the bottom, and a stark insane HK-assassin droid manning both the dual laser cannon turrets _and_ the concussion missile launcher.

The other was blue with fading gold and silver stripes. A Styke-D25 repeating blaster cannon occupied the niche between the port dormitory and the cockpit, and two Firefak-GS9 EMP pulse cannons were placed on either side of the cockpit, but otherwise, it was basically the same as the _Ebon Hawk_.

The familiar smell of old engine fuel and that odd Twi'lek perfume Mission had seen in a holosheet and sprayed all over the ship filled Carth's nostrils as he smoothly piloted the nimble craft toward the flaming city. Yep, despite what Mission might say, he was a true piloting ace-_**WHUMP-WHUMP-SCREEEEECH!**_

[Query: Might I suggest avoiding collision courses with Sith fighters and letting me and this tin can next to me-Oh do shut up you little trash collector!-do the shooting?]

Carth growled and depressed the intercom button. "One more peep out of you, you bucket of bolts and I swear the next place you're going is the metal reclamation center on Coruscant!"

"When you two children are done fighting, we can begin the landing sequence." Juhani cut in "I can see the hangar-"

With a mighty explosion, a huge fireball shot out of the east side of Ahto City, sending bodies and debris flying. What looked like it was once part of a wall hit the _Ebon Hawk_.

"What in the name of-?" Carth growled as he fought to bring the _Ebon Hawk_ back under control. "Juhani, did you see that?"

"Yes…" Her voice was distant. "There were a lot of Force-sensitive presences in the center of that explosion…all but one are tainted with the dark side…" Carth gulped. Someone very brave had sacrificed themselves to take out a large number of the Sith attackers.

"Do you know who it is?" Mission asked quietly.

"I…" Juhani stopped "It was Kel."

Time seemed to stand still for Carth. _No, no, no_…They were being picked off like flies. First Jolee, then Yuthura, and now _Kel_. It was as if the universe had brought them together only to cruelly tear them apart. It wasn't _fair_.

"There's something odd though…" Juhani added "Kel's Force-presence disappeared. I mean, literally disappeared."

"So?" Carth asked dejectedly "That happens to everyone when they die. Nothing special."

"No!" Juhani gasped "It was different. When they die, all beings fade in the Force. Kel's was cut off abruptly, without warning. I could detect no pain, save for what he was already experiencing. It was as if he just _vanished_ off the face of the galaxy."

"Could that mean he isn't dead?" Mission asked curiously.

"I'm not sure-Incoming!" Both vessels flew aside as a sleek black transport shot out from one of the hangars and blasted off into the night sky.

"Was that Sith?" Carth said incredulously.

"Appeared so," Juhani replied, sending a round of EMP pulses toward the next transport, shorting out its systems before Zaalbar shot out a huge hole in its side, filling the transport with water as it hit the ocean.

"If the Sith are fleeing the city…" Carth started, but realized that besides the two transports they had just encountered, only five more were streaming towards them along with an escort squadron of 10 fighters, when the embedded message in Shelkar's distress call had specified 15 transports having breached the city plus some 120 odd gunships and fighters.

Mission took out the first transport, blowing its port engine pod to smithereens before whoever was gunning the EMP cannons on Juhani's vessel shut down the second's power before the vessel could bring its two high-power laser cannons online. As a final kill shot, _Glory of Cathar_'s repeating blaster cannon covered the entire starboard side in pockmarks, ensuring that the vessel would sink when it hit the water.

[Query: Why are we not simply destroying the Sith meatbags' vessels in midair instead of crippling them and leaving them to the ocean? That increases the chance of some escaping.]

"HK, when you've fought as long as I have…" Carth sighed, firing off two concussion missiles at the third transport, tearing it almost in two, but the fall would do the rest "…you learn a thing or two: Any enemy is his ship."

Mission and Zaalbar began competing with the other turbolaser gunners on Juhani's vessel to see who could shoot down the most fighters and take out the last two transports they were protecting.

The fifth transport hit ocean water, bumping against its shredded counterpart before continuing to the sea floor. Down at the headquarters of the Order of Shasa, the Progenitor took a moment to glance at the unusual sparking objects before deciding they weren't a threat and continued her vigil of the strange glowing object that had attracted so much attention not too long ago.

**Cave of Knowledge, Ilum**

The first thing Revan thought when he woke up was that it was cold. Freezing in fact. Compared to the places he had been in his identity quest, this was the opposite of hell, because _hell didn't freeze your toes while you slept_. A slight groaning noise from his left caught his attention, and he felt slender arms envelope his waist before he let himself be pulled back down into the pile of furs, jackets, and blankets. It had been a suggestion that they sleep in only their underclothes and cover whatever they were sleeping in with extra blankets etc. to prevent them from sweating and having that sweat freeze when they continued outside, but the guidebook to Ilum never said that it would be this freezing.

Awake now, he watched the small entrance cut into the wall of the Cave of Knowledge and the blizzard that was already spewing a small volcano of snow into the area surrounding the hole.

Suddenly, he heard a faint crunching noise in the snow, like someone was treading through it in boots…hold on. Jumping out of the quilt, Revan did a little dance as he hoped around the ice-cold cave floor before dance-wiggling into his pants and tunic and slid into the corner of the cave, lightsaber in hand. The crunching grew closer until Revan saw two black legs walk into view, followed by a gry-color armored body and two black leather-armored figures. All were humanoid, but the foremost wore what appeared to be the armor that the Elite Dark Jedi had worn during Revan and Malak's reign.

"All right you two, this shouldn't take too long. Guard the entrance. I'll be back before you know it."

"What about the Jedi sir? What will happen should they wake up?"

"Our little friend on my back should take care of that."

As the armored figure's foot stepped into the cave, Revan almost collapsed. It was as if he had suddenly been blinded, like he was standing on top of a very tall cliff in the middle of a blizzard and had no protective gear on. It was like he had lost one of his senses. Revan realized that he had lost his connection to the Force.

The Dark Jedi stepped inside, and glanced around, pausing only to snort at the sleeping Bastila and Dustil. Seeing Revan's side of the bed he shared with Bastila empty, the Dark Jedi paused. "All right Revan, I know you're in here somewhere, but I'll settle for these two while I'm waiting."

"Well your wait is up!" Springing out from the shadows, Revan head-butted the man in the chest, knocking double-bladed lightsaber out of his hand. Growling, the man rolled over and threw a punch at Revan, who attempted to dodge it, but felt something break in his nose. Taking advantage, the man chopped down on Revan's sword arm, sending his lightsaber skidding across the room to stop beside the snoring Dustil.

Revan ran at the man, who simply stepped to the side and held out his arm, which collided with Revan's neck and the former Dark Lord of the Sith hit the floor back-first. Groaning, Revan felt the egg-shaped bump on the back of his head before grabbing the man by the ankle, causing him to topple over on top of Bastila, who instinctively shoved him off, leaped up, and kicked him in the groin, before hopping backwards holding her smarting foot. Kicking metal at high speed is never recommended.

Raising her hand, Bastila made to Force-slam the man into the wall, but seemed confused when she could no longer do it. Revan caught her glance and motioned to the small orange lizard strapped to the man's back. "Ysalamir," Bastila cursed "I hate those things."

The man leaped back up, a large lightning-shaped dent in his chest armor where he had hit the ground. Revan whipped out his blaster pistol and began firing shots at the man, who dodged them or deflected them with his gauntlets. "You can't stand against me!" the man chuckled.

"I am Darth Revan!" Revan shot back. Through the corner of his vision, he saw Dustil put two fingers to his lips and creep toward the man's back, both his lightsaber and Revan's in hand "Stand down trooper! The war is over!"

"Oh no…" The man chuckled "We don't answer to Malak! The war is just beginning. A new leader shall…" The smell of scorched flesh filled the air. The man stared wordlessly at the two blue blades which had cut into him and would have bisected him had it not been for the phrik-containing alloy of his chest armor. Revan ran forward and caught the man as he fell, before punching him once.

"Who are you talking about?" Revan said through clenched teeth "What leader?"

The Sith smiled and blood trickled out of his mouth. He grabbed Revan by the neck and brought his head to Revan's ear.

"_Under the r-rule of the Tri….tri….the Sith shall rise again!_" With that, he dropped to the floor, dead. Revan cursed and let the man drop as he felt the Force return to him. Dustil had sliced the ysalamir in two when he had cut into the man's back.

"The Tri-something?" Dustil said, breathing heavily "That doesn't sound like something to worry about. Ever heard about these three?"

"I don't know." Revan said nonchalantly, activating his lightsaber and slaying the two Sith guards out front "I really don't know."

**Trayus Core, Malachor V**

She smiled as the trio of Sith assassins were eliminated by her former apprentice. Well, it was to be expected…

A tremor in the Force brought her attention back to the present. Striding toward her position in the center of the Trayus Core were two men. One looked like he slept with vibroblades, his skin cut and grey, and one eye was milky white. The other wore black robes, with an ominous white death mask with two red stripes leading down from the eye holes like two lines of red tear stains. Behind the mask was nothing, just black and empty space.

She could sense something was wrong and instinctively brought up her crimson lightsaber in a defending position. The masked man held her in a Force grip, and threw her against a pillar. Kreia slid down, dazed from the blow. In vain, she attempted to Force-call her lightsaber lying a few meters away into her hand, but she could no longer use the Force.

The second of the two gripped her by the throat before slamming her into the pillar again by the throat before slamming his other first into her stomach. Doubled over, Kreia had no defence against his next strike, which crashed into her back before he kicked her head and finally threw her to the floor.

Kreia lifted her head weakly, dazed and confused, for now that she had lost her ability to touch the Force, she had also rid herself of the decaying evil that had corrupted her in the first place. She managed one last look at the faces of those who had betrayed her before her head slumped back down. As consciousness left her, Kreia now realized the true meaning of betrayal.

* * *

Please R & R!


	18. Chapter 18: The End in the Beginning

**Chapter 18 is up!**

**Darth Acheron will be making an appearance in almost every chapter from now on. Her ship, the Blood Mauler was destroyed, but I will hold another contest to decide the name of her new ship. You will receive the schematics in the next chapter. So far, the suggested names are:**

**-Predator**

**-Scythe**

**-Colcarion**

**-Note: Original names are greatly appreciated (By Original, I mean names not found in dictionary but have an ancient mystical feeling to them)**

* * *

Ilum

"Well?"

"It appears to be a similar design to the TCS-400 personal yacht." Revan commented as he pried open a service hatch. "This one's been heavily modified. I'm seeing stealth equipment and what appears to be some sort of phrik-durasteel alloy armor with quantum plating. The cockpit's been enlarged and one of the two cargo holds has been replaced with an armory of some sort."

Bastila nodded and began typing furiously into a wall console, digging through whatever data she could find.

Dustil grunted as he heaved another rock onto the small grave they had made in the snow for the three Sith. He hadn't seen any reason why they should show the three any respect, even if they were dead, but Bastila had reminded him that Jedi respected all forms of life. Since the snow was too thick to dig through, they had cut off slabs of rock from the cliff face and piled them on top of the bodies.

Wind battered his face, but Dustil still dragged on. His body was still aching with fatigue from his ordeal in the caves, and the encounter with Selene and his mother had shaken him to the core.

His mother…Dustil stopped his work for a second. Revan had said that the fact that Dustil was so strong in the Force could not be a coincidence. Revan had also said that he suspected Carth might have some Force sensitivity, or at least the ability to sense when something was wrong, a trait that had saved the duo countless times during their adventures.

Revan had also said that Force ghosts were not necessarily restricted to Force-wielders who died, as all life was connected to the Force. He was experimenting with the idea that maybe all life could also touch the Force, but not the Force that the Jedi and Sith perceived. Was it possible that he could actually talk to his mother?

"Were all of your acolytes this heavily armed?" Bastila said quietly as they searched through the armory. The small hold mainly comprised of shelves lining the walls along with a small database console and three rows of shelves in the center.

"I really don't know." Revan replied, his muscles groaning as he picked up an unusual weapon. It was a six-barrel chain gun of some sort, and looked as if it was meant to be held by the two handles on top at the waist. He made a note to show it to HK "I just sent them…to find Jedi and either turn them or kill them." He smiled darkly at a faint memory "There was one…I think his name was Jaq Roald or Randel or Radd or something like that. He was the best at masking his Force presence…as well as at capturing and/or killing Jedi."

Both were silent for a moment. "There's nothing in this database about the Triumvirate" Bastila said after a while "Looks like someone piggy-backed a signal into the transport when we brought it back online and wiped the entire data core."

"Damn it!" Revan brought his fist back down onto the console, cursing.

"Whoever sent these guys knows they tried and failed to kill us." Bastila said "I just can't understand why they even bothered? It's not like we haven't fought our way through hordes of Sith before. We even faced Malak's Sith apprentice, Darth Bandon..."

"…which is something I would love to do again and again." Revan said with extreme anger "But maybe with a chainsaw one time, HK with some sort of torture instrument the next, encasing him in a transparisteel pod and leaving him to the firaxa…" Bastila gently put her hand on his arm.

"You need to let go of Trask's death Revan." She murmured "Accept that he sacrificed himself for you and move on." Revan just shook his head.

"There is one thing and one thing only that I will agree with in the subject: Trask saved the Republic and millions of lives and he has not received _one bit of recognition_, only a notice on the list of the dead from the _Endar Spire_." Revan stood up and put on an air like some archive droid "Trask Ulgo: Ensign aboard the _Hammerhead_-class cruiser, Endar Spire. Killed when Sith fleet led by Darth Malak ambushed the vessel over Taris. Killed by Malak's apprentice, former Jedi hopeful Darth Bandon…"

"Hey Revan…" Dustil commented, sticking his now-red face out from behind the cargo hold entrance "Do you think this thing can get us to Manaan?"

"Sure, but we're too far away to do anything." Revan grumbled, shoving a crate back onto the shelf.

"I know," Dustil said hesitantly "It's just that…you know…Mi-I mean, one of the crew could be injured…" His voice trailed off.

Revan frowned and tried to focus on Dustil's Force presence. Sensing what he was doing, Dustil immediately attempted to block off his mind, but Revan got a hint of what he was thinking. His face turned scarlet and Bastila backed away, expecting him to begin ranting and raving at Dustil, but she realized he was scarlet because he was trying to hold in his laughter.

Revan caught her look and lost control, falling to the deck floor and beating his hand against his leg, laughing till tears began pouring down his cheeks. Dustil growled and stomped up to the cockpit.

"What was it?" Bastila asked curiously. Revan sighed and wiped a tear from his face.

"Dustil…hehe…h-he…has a crush on…" Revan hiccupped and began laughing even harder. Bastila lost patience and grabbed his shirt collar and heaved him against the wall, but he was still giggling.

"H-h-he…has a crush…on Mission!" There was a loud yelp as Bastila dropped her lover to the floor and began holding her sides to prevent her from laughing.

"Ahahahaha…ahhhh…no, this isn't funny…" Bastila managed to gasp out between laughs. The two of them sat down on the cold metal floor of the cargo hold as Dustil initiated the takeoff sequence, holding their stomachs as they laughed.

**Jedi Outpost, Ahto City**

The first thing Master Qual saw when the wide door to the entrance forum opened were six black-clad figures with black face masks and red eye covers. Leading them were three young humans clad in dark grey robes. Behind them were about two-score _Sentinel_-class battle droids.

Kahl Melatis, the Jedi intern at the front desk didn't know what hit him, and fell out of his chair, with the red blade still sticking out of his chest.

Growling, a female Bothan Jedi Force-slammed one of the three Sith Marauders into the wall before two Rodian Jedi standing behind her flung their silver shotos at the other Sith, sending them scrambling. The Bothan roared and unclipped her orange double-bladed lightsaber before rushing the Sith she had just stunned into unconsciousness.

Qual sighed and just stood there, leaning on his ornate wooden staff. Beside him, Shaelas, the father of Shasa, the founding member of the Order of Shasa, cursed as he fired off his sonic pistol, but it was of little use against the droids. "Focus on their audio receptors!" Rylic Denkar, a young Mirialin Jedi Consular adviced, locking blades with one of the masked Sith.

Shaelas aimed carefully and hit a droid in the head, overloading its audio receptors, causing it to go haywire and begin firing at both friend and foe, before it was brought down.

The Bothan, whose name was Sorran Markez, an accomplished Jedi Guardian with the uncanny ability of Force Camoflauge, bared her canines at the Sith she was facing before trading a series of quick blows with him.

One of the masked Sith ran at Qual, who simply backed away and let a cabinet that had mysteriously torn itself off the wall hit the man in the groin. As he doubled over, Qual struck him between the shoulder-blades with his staff, knocking the man unconscious.

"You know Master," Sorran muttered, deflecting blaster bolts back at the droids "_It would be nice if you helped us kill these Sith instead of standing back watching_."

Qual glared at her and bashed another Sith in the nose with the spiked emerald pommel end of his staff before gripping it in a powerful defensive two-handed position. As if by magic, all fighting ceased, and the Sith motioned for their droids to stop firing. "Well old man?" The first Sith grinned "What ya gonna do? Cane me to death?"

[[Precisely…]] A blade of emerald, shot through with silver, erupted from the hilt. It was thicker and slightly shorter than a usual blade, but it was nonetheless deadly, as Qual demonstrated by slicing a power cord, causing the lights to flicker and dim.

Whirling his sabercane in a complex series of flourishes, the Master of Arms saluted the Sith with a Djem So sweep before dropping into the opening stance, lightsaber held at the waist with both hands about a foot and a half apart.

The Sith paused, but for only a second, after which they resumed their attack. Sorran had taken advantage of the brief rest to grip her opponent around the neck and use him as a shield against the droids' resumed barrage.

Colin Cel-Drem, a novice Jedi Sentinel and nephew to Roland Wann, rushed forward, blade spinning as he began slicing through the droids. The two Rodian Jedi followed close behind. When the droids began to encircle Colin, the two leaped up onto the walls, still running and using the Force to keep them upright. As they reached Colin, the two ran up onto the ceiling and dropped on opposite sides, before combining their powers with Colin to blast the droids back with a Force Wave.

"Thanks Inesta, Mirren." Colin said to both, panting heavily before rushing back into the lobby, blade whirling. The first Rodian turned to his brother and shrugged, before tearing after him.

A Sith chopped down on Qual's staff, but instead of cutting through, the blade just bounced off. [[Phrik alloy]] Qual lectured, ducking the Sith's next swipe and slicing off a leg [[Really, in my day, all students were expected to know that someone wielding a long staff who's a Jedi or someone who fights lightsaber-wielders probably has a weapon made of lightsaber resistant material.]] As the Sith rose again, Qual whacked him over the head, raising a lump the size of an egg before the Sith went down again.

Colin used the Force to tear a large ornate model of a Republic cruiser from its marble base and the Sith it hit went down with the ship. Whipping around, he sliced off a Sith's sword hand before bisecting him.

Sorran and the Rodian twins made quick work of the rest of the Sith, who now laid in smoking parts on the floor. "That wasn't so bad." Sorran commented. A Republic soldier glanced at her, then the two Republic bodies and Kahl's body, and just rolled his eyes.

"Master?" Colin asked hesitantly, noticing that Qual had not deactivated his blade, but was rather holding it in a defensive position facing the hallway.

[[A…disturbance in the Force]] Qual said [[Someone…something is coming. All I can see is pain. Yes, lots of pain]]

**Novaplex Hotel, Coruscant**

Mekel smiled lazily and sat up. "Do you really have to go right now?" He murmured to the attractive naked form of a dark-skinned woman outlined by the light from the window. Her hair, once short in a military crop was now long with luscious black curls. She smiled and began easing on her blue jumpsuit.

Getting impatient, Mekel eased himself out of bed and walked over to the woman, kissing her gently on the cheek. "It's only 5 in the morning. We still have a couple of hours. I can drive you to the hangar if you want."

Thalia May smiled seductively and lightly kissed him on the lips. "We leave for Corellia at 0700 hours, but Master Nisi wants us to be there a few hours early to prepare for when the princess arrives. Plus, if we both arrive late together in the same speeder, she won't be happy that we spent our last night on Coruscant for two weeks enjoying ourselves rather than studying for the mission."

"Geez," Mekel sighed, pulling his shirt down over his head and tugging on his trousers "You'd think that with the loss of so many Jedi in the war, the Council would be a little more lenient on romantic relationships. I mean, come on, what about Revan and Shan?"

Thalia glanced at him before tying her belt around her waist "As far as I know, the Council is comprised of those who either don't know or those who seem to have sudden memory loss when the topic comes up. Last time I saw Bastila however, she seemed distressed…" She sensed a feeling of guilt and uneasiness from Mekel who, noticing her stare began fumbling with his utility pack, eyes kept down. He glanced back up, but she was still glaring at him.

"All right!" Mekel relented, raising his hands in surrender "But if Revan finds out I told you, there'll be enough pieces of both of us to stretch the entire Hydian Way. Bastila's pregnant."

"Revan's the father?" Thalia asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Well who else would it be?" Mekel said in mock outrage "Anyway, Revan and Dustil let me in on the secret but only until after HK made sure that I wouldn't reveal it to the Council or anyone who might take advantage of it." He sighed and gave Thalia a pitiful look "Do you know how many ways HK-47 can kill a single person, not including when he does it in one strike?"

"I know one way involves sniping someone 150 kilometers away or something like that." Thalia said. Mekel gulped and glanced at the open curtains. Then he made a mad dash, careful to duck out of the light and slammed his hand down on the button to close the curtains. Thalia stifled a giggle.

Suddenly, the communications alarm on their console began to beep. Thalia ran to pick it up. "This is Galactic City Port Control." A pleasant feminine voice said "There's a man here who requested your appearance at the landing pad. Also, he said that Bala understands and has given you full leave. Thank you and have a nice day."

Thalia looked at Mekel. Both had the exact same name on their minds "Revan."

**Galactic City Spaceport, Coruscant**

"You have got to be kidding me…" Mekel could only gape when he caught sight of the sleek ship standing on the pad.

"I mean…" Mekel said, running his hand over a section of hull "This is a work of art!"

Revan chuckled and sighed. "I decided to call it the _Shadow Catcher_, seeing as how fast it took to get from Ilum to here. It isn't the _Ebon Hawk_ though." He murmured "Which is why the ship now belongs to three Jedi: Thalia May, Dustil Onasi, and one with half a name…seriously Mekel, find a last name for yourself…" He stopped short. Mekel and Thalia tried but couldn't find excitement and joy in their hearts at the thought that the ship belonged to them, because both had seen that look before.

_"Revan…I've just received terrible news…."_

Revan turned around to see Bastila running across the pad to them from the communications console she had just used to see what the situation on Manaan was.

"What is it?" He asked in alarm.

"Republic forces have forced what appear to be Sith warships into retreat, but the Sith managed to land what appears to be hundreds of gunships, starfighters, assault droids, shock troopers, and Dark Jedi. They've breached Ahto City." Revan cursed and broke into a run before Force-leaping onto the boarding ramp. There was only one reason that Sith would attack Ahto City when they were defeated and broken, and Revan had a sickly feeling he knew exactly what…

Bastila ran after him, but stopped short to face Mekel and Thalia "Well, aren't you coming?" The couple looked at each other before tearing off after the Prodigal Knight.

_**Shadow Catcher**_**, En-route to Manaan**

"Prepare to drop out of hyperspace…" Revan said over the intercom. "In three…two…one…"

A bright flash of light signaled the _Shadow Catcher_'s reversion to realspace. Floating in front of them was the Republic fleet orbiting Manaan, just as the reports had said, but what they had not mentioned was that there were two Mandalorian Wars-era Republic interdictor cruisers engaged in a heavy firefight with the fleet, nor that the space where the _Shadow Catcher_ had just emerged into was a debris field.

"Oh fuck!" Dustil swore, angling the cruiser's nose upward to avoid the remains of several Sith fighters.

Revan winced as he felt the G-force push him into his chair as the ship accelerated, but still managed to comm Admiral Dodonna's flagship. "Admiral Dodona, this is independent/Jedi vessel _Shadow Catcher_. Admiral, what the hell is going on? Where did these ships come from?"

"Revan…you are Revan, correct? We're taking heavy fire from the Sith cruisers. They've been heavily modified and upgraded, and we're giving all we have to prevent them from breaking through our formation."

"Where's the _Ebon Hawk_ Admiral?" Bastila asked anxiously.

"Last we saw, it was in formation with another _Dynamic_-class freighter headed for Ahto City." Revan looked at Bastila and Dustil with a puzzled look. _Another_ _Dynamic_-class freighter?

"Admiral, are you positive that it was another _Dynamic_-class freighter and not just a sensor mirage?"

"We're absolutely positive." Dodonna said "Now I believe your services would be more suited on the ground rather than in the air. Good luck _Shadow Catcher_."

**Jedi Outpost, Ahto City**

The first glimpse that the survivors got of their soon-to-be attacker and killer was the shadowy form of a bald muscular man in the smoke cloud at the end of the corridor. As he drew closer, they could make out his gruesome features.

His skin was grey and heavily scarred and cut. One eye was normal, but the other was milky white. In all, the man looked like he was dead or dying, but he wasn't. The man paused, and a bar of crimson shot out of his hand.

Inesta and Mirren impulsively began firing off their blasters at the figure, who didn't even attempt to block them. Rather, he was hit by the barrage of lasers and hit the ground. "That wasn't too bad…" Mirren began, before clawing at his throat desparately. Inesta cried out in alarm but Mirren fell to the floor dead.

"Inesta, stay back!" Colin warned, but it was too late. The dead Sith leaped back up and before Inesta could turn around, Force-hurled his lightsaber at the Rodian, bisecting him.

Fuming with anger, Sorran charged forward to duel with the Sith, Colin and three Republic guards close behind. Shaelas growled, and began to reach for his blaster, but Qual gently put his hand on Shaelas's arm. The Selkath Jedi Master shook his head. [[Pry open a maintenance hatch.]] He said [[Get the Republic personnel and the younglings out of here. Whatever you do, make sure to escape through the hatch in the younglings' training room. I don't want them to see us fall.]]

The Sith Lord kicked out at Sorran, sending her stumbling backwards, nursing her bruised chin. One of the Republic guards leaped onto the Sith's back, while another blasted the man at point-blank range. The Sith bent over, and the Republic guard ran forward to finish him off.

Colin winced as the blade sliced through the man's head. The Sith smiled and finished his cleave, splitting the guard in two. He turned around and blasted the two remaining Republic guards with Force lightning until he was certain that they were dead.

Sorran was now recovered, and in concert with Colin began to duel with the Sith. She struck low, burning a hole in the Sith's abdomen, but he either ignored the pain or didn't feel it possibly due to the fact that his nerves had been destroyed long ago or.

Colin moved forward with a high strike, but the Sith Force-pulled him, and Colin stumbled into the Sith's lightsaber. Sorran roared as she heard her friend's cry of pain. Colin stared down at the red bar growing from his chest before falling to the floor.

Eyes now red with fury, Sorran went into a berserk assault on the Sith, attempting to beat down his guard, but all she was doing was tiring herself out.

Sion chuckled as the Bothan attempted to hit him. For now, he allowed her to try for it amused him, however, the Sith grew bored of her attacks, and dispatched her with a single thrust in the thigh. The Bothan's knees buckled and she fell to the floor. Just as Sion raised his blade for the killing blow, he heard a voice call out.

[[Dark Lord! Do not fight the young fish! Fight the full-grown Firaxa!]] Qual stood ready at the end of the hall. Smiling darkly, Sion Force-leaped at him, blade raised for the kill. Qual deflected it on his staff, but the blade bounced and burned off the tip of a finger. Ignoring the pain, Qual drove the staff into Sion's belly, knocking the wind out of the Sith, but Sion grabbed Qual's sword arm, forcing the deadly sabercane away. Qual responded by grabbing _Sion's_ sword arm, and now the two were locked in a wrestling stance, hands gripping hands, face to face.

* * *

"I really have to stop doing this." Revan grumbled as he hurtled toward Ahto City. Wind whipped his face and his breath fogged up his goggles, making it difficult to see. Behind him, a slim figure in a maroon jumpsuit activated her jetpack to keep her on course. Behind_ her_, a figure in a navy jumpsuit with bronze armor strapped over it had his lightsaber out and activated, swiping at Sith fighters that got too close.

"Prepare for deceleration" Revan heard Bastila say over their helmets' radios "In five…four…three…two…one…"

Revan yelped as he was brought to a grinding halt. The jetpack had slowed him down, but the sudden change in force hurt…a lot.

"I can see the courtyard up ahead!" Dustil commented from his position behind Bastila "There's…there's someone waving a strip of cloth at us. It's a Selkath!"

Shasa breathed a sigh of relief as her savior's armored boots hit the solid ground of the outer courtyard. [[Once again you come rushing to the rescue Revan]] Shasa chuckled before growing serious [[The Sith are attacking the Jedi outpost. My father was in there, but he managed to get a transmission to me that the Jedi offspring are safe, but several Jedi are engaging a...Sith Lord I believe he said-]] She frowned as she realized she was talking to empty air. Revan had walked over to a doorway before walking over to another, frowning.

"I believe the way to the outpost is that way…" Bastila snorted, indicating another hallway. Revan gave her a look before motioning for the three of them to follow him.

The old Selkath was a persistent fighter, he would give him that, but his strength would fail eventually. The two opponents were still locked in their position, neither gaining the advantage nor losing it. What they needed was a distraction, something to break the other's concentration…

"Sith!" Qual turned his head and realized his mistake too late. Sion head-butted him and before the dazed Selkath could recover, sent his fist in Qual's stomach before striking upward at his chin. Finally, he brought both fists down on Qual's head, throwing the Jedi Master head-first to the floor before Sion impaled him with his own lightsaber.

"NO!" Revan roared. Blood thundered through his ears as he whipped out _Heart of the Guardian_ and _Mantle of the Force_. Breaking into a run, Revan used the Force to tear a section of plating from the wall and hurled it at the Sith, who grunted as he was slammed against the opposite wall. Not waiting for him to get up, Revan flung the panel away and brought his lightsabers down, and it was only Sion's lightning fast reflexes that prevented Revan from separating his head from his body.

Dustil made to join Revan, but Bastila held him back "This something he must do for himself…" she murmured, hoping that her lover knew what he was doing.

"You…" Revan flung his little finger at Sion's milky white eye, and though it didn't impair his vision, it certainly did hurt.

"…Sith…" Sion punched Revan in the face, and Revan tasted copper blood in his mouth.

"…why…" Spitting it at the Sith Lord, Revan began tearing out plating and wiring from the walls and began hurling them at Sion, who was forced backwards by the onslaught

"…can't…" Revan followed closely behind, still telekinetically hurling objects at Sion.

"…you…" A particularly large shard of metal grazed Sion's skull, but he fed on the pain before tearing it out and throwing it at Revan. Revan laughed harshly and redirected the shard back at Sion.

"…leave…" Sion decided enough was enough, and ignoring the hail of objects, ran forward and grabbed Revan around the waist, before sending them both crashing to the floor. Sion brought both his own lightsaber and Qual's down on Revan's own blades, while their owner grimaced as he forced the blades away from his face.

"…me…" Sion smiled, channeling his pain and anger into his efforts, slowly reversing the direction of the blades. Revan saw this and began letting a maelstrom of energy build up inside of him.

"…ALONE!" With a mighty roar, Revan unleashed a Force Wave so powerful that it crumbled the metal plates covering the corridors like foil. Sion was thrown into a wall, but he was still conscious. Realizing that he could not defeat Revan, Sion activated a small beacon on his wrist.

"Until we meet again…Jedi." The roof was torn open and a rope dropped down. Force-hurling Revan backwards, Sion ran forward and grabbed the rope, before being yanked upward. Bastila and the others ran forward just in time to see a black vessel blast off, leaving them choking in its afterburn.

_**Hammerhead**_**-class cruiser, **_**Sojourn**_

"Let me get this straight…" Revan said, pacing in front of Admiral Dodonna, Master Vandar Tokare, Vrook Lamar, Kavar, and Commodore Carth Onasi.

"Manaan is attacked, Ahto City is nearly destroyed, we lost _how many Jedi_ to this Sith Lord, and your orders are to do nothing?" He stopped and faced them "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR KRIFFING MINDS?"

"Jedi can separate their souls from their bodies yes," Kavar said dryly "But for Dodonna and Commodore Onasi here? I doubt it…on second thought, Onasi might have a 1 in a million chance." When all eyes turned to stare at him, the Jedi Master just shrugged.

"Revan, we understand that you feel responsible for Kel Algwinn's…can we call it a death?" Vandar began. This was the most puzzling part of the recent attack. Juhani had been certain that she hadn't felt Kel's Force presence fade away in the manner of death, but rather, like he was cut off, without any pain, regret, or emotion. He just _vanished_.

"Be assured, the Republic is doing everything it can under the circumstances to investigate this Sith threat." The hologram of Chancellor Cressa said "We will try to weed out the remnants of your former identity's empire, but it will take some time…"

"…and time isn't exactly on our side." Carth finished. He was sitting up tall, in his olive-and-red uniform of Commodore. Revan sighed and shook his head at his old friend.

"For once Carth," he said, letting out a huge breath "Could you for once be on my side of the argument?"

[Correction: Actually master, the meatbag Commodore has agreed with you approximately 145 times and somewhat agreed with you 53 times, not including how to break into the Sith Academy on Korriban.]

[Interjection: I believe I actually agree with Master on this matter, Admiral-]

"Hey, why does she get recognition as an admiral and I get the term 'meatbag'?" Carth put in.

[Annoyed Statement: Oh shut up! Continuation: As I was saying, the meatbag faction called the Sith is still in its death throes. Query: Shouldn't we eliminate the target before it rises up again? If not, the faction will destroy the Republic faction and then the rest of the galaxy before turning on themselves and killing each other preventing me from having an organic to use for the comparison term of organic meatbag?]

"This is one of those times where I actually understand what that droid means. Oh god, I agree with him. Am I going insane?"

"If you are Carth, than so am I." Revan sighed "HK…why don't you go raid the armory?"

[Surprised statement: Master, am I allowed to do that-Revelation: Oh, you mean: HK-47, oh greatest creation of mine and the inventor of the term 'meatbag', could you please step outside or occupy yourself so I can discuss meatbag things with the other meatbags?]

"That's…more or less what I just said." Revan said. HK nodded and strolled out.

"The Council on the other hand has given thought to your request that the vessel you 'liberated', the uh…_Shadow Chaser_…_Shadow Catcher_? But we have agreed that three Jedi of your choice may investigate the matter on their own." Vandar said.

"Why not me?" Revan asked, hearing the hidden message in the Grand Master's words.

"You are too connected to this Sith threat." Vrook said harshly "Any move you make will either be fueled by hatred or to exact revenge on those who were responsible for the deaths of your companions." Although he did not know it, Vrook had just brought Revan's mind back to the present.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Revan had a feeling in the back of his mind that the Sith Lord, the attack on Manaan, and the skirmish on Ilum were in no way connected to the murder of Jolee Bindo, Yuthura Ban, or the unknown Sith Lady. That meant the galaxy had two threats to face, but which was the worse? Which one?

* * *

"Hey Carth!" Carth turned around to see Revan running up to him.

"Yeah Revan?"

"I need to talk to you…in private." Revan said, steering Carth for an abandoned conference room.

"Revan, I need to be at an officers' briefing in 10 minutes, so this better be fast." Carth protested.

"Have someone else cover for you." Revan said "No objections. This is important."

A few minutes later, one of Carth's subordinates was lecturing the officers on the importance of deciding whether or not to maintain onboard romantic involvement and Carth was pacing in front of a seated Revan. Bastila was seated in a chair across from Revan.

"More and more of my memories keep on coming back." Revan began "Each one of them contains terrors and monstrosities I would rather kill myself then have committed, but I can't."

"I sense a bright future ahead of you Carth. You have the potential to become an Admiral, maybe even be the next Dodonna!"

"Do I have to wear my hair in a bun and have long lunches with Master Vandar eating cucumber sandwiches and drinking _saepe _tea?" Carth asked dryly. Bastila just glared at him.

"That's always a possibility, but that's not important. There will be a time when I won't be here and the Republic will need a strong leader to rally behind. I would rather have you be that leader than anyone. When I am gone, you need to keep the Republic strong." Revan said.

"What do you mean, 'keep the Republic strong'?" Carth asked, throwing his hands in the air "What the barve are you talking about?" Bastila stood up.

"Calm yourself Carth. But Revan, he is right-what are you talking about?" She turned to Revan.

Revan stood up and sighed. "There is a dark malice residing in the Unknown Regions. It is greater threat than the remnants of my Empire, greater than the Mandalorians, greater than Malak, because it has survived and it bears a grudge, but most importantly, it has learned."

"Then I'll fire up the _Ebon Hawk_ and prepare the crew." Carth argued "Wherever you may go Revan, you know we'll always be there watching your back. When do we leave?"

"No." Carth gaped at Revan, who let his head droop before straightening up and staring Carth in the eyes. "This threat is greater than anything you can imagine. If I am to fight it, I must go places where none have dared to go, or those who have were never seen again. Places where, having loved ones like you Bastila or friends like you Carth could result in your deaths. Places where I must find the darkest part of myself and embrace it. This journey, I must go on alone."

Carth gripped Revan by the shoulders with both hands. "Fine, I will do what you ask. But Revan, don't think you've seen the last of us. We will be listening everywhere, keeping tabs on you and making sure that you're still alive. You don't know what you'll be putting us through if you don't return."

Revan nodded solemnly, and with a final hug to Carth, walked out of the room. As he reached the door, he turned around "As my friend Carth and as my lover Bastila, you two can't tell anyone about this. They won't be able to process it and it will only make matters worse."

**Main Hold, **_**Ebon Hawk**_

Bastila let out a deep breath. She knew that this moment would come for days now, but now that it had arrived, she was nervous and scared. Letting out another deep breath, she turned to the small grey droid who let out a curious bloop.

"Begin recording." Bastila said, sitting on her haunches and running a hand over his features. Standing back up, she straightened her tunic and began talking.

"T3, you have been with us since Taris. Without you, we would have never escaped that place…and for that I thank you."

"I'm leaving this message inside you because I have seen glimpses of the future…and the bond he and I share does not allow him to hide everything from me."

"More of his memories have returned-and they trouble him. He has remembered something, something on the edge of the galaxy, and he believes he must go there to end it."

"But I'm afraid for him…afraid that he may not return."

"I need you to be the beacon T3. If he is lost out there, on the edge of the galaxy, if he finds whatever terrible thing he has seen, then he may not survive."

"If he doesn't make it back, then I need you to return to the Republic, and find help. If you cannot find me, then seek out other Jedi, the Republic…"

"I can't lose him, even if he believes he is protecting me…"


	19. Chapter 19: Lover's Departure

**Revan and Bastila's Quarters, **_**Ebon Hawk**_

Revan awoke to loud snuffling sounds emanating from the Cargo Hold. "Damn Gizka…" He cursed, drawing his stun blaster and tip-toeing down the corridor. As he reached the hatch to the Cargo Hold, he keyed in the silent opening code and whipped out the blaster from the holster. The next thing he knew, he was slumped against the corridor wall with a very embarrassed Wookiee leaning over him.

"_Uh….sorry_?"

"You know Zaalbar…" Revan grumbled as he held the icepack to his swollen cheek "I appreciate your enhanced Wookiee strength and all…_but could you ask_ before raiding the supply containers?" Zaalbar had been munching on a bantha jerky bar and Revan's entrance had caught him by surprise. His instincts made him lash out, hitting the former Sith Lord smack in his still-mending face.

Zaalbar groaned and leaned against the supply container.

"What is it?" Revan asked gently. Although he didn't want to admit it, Zaalbar was a big softy at heart, and viewed Mission as the little sister he never had. It was ironic, Revan thought, since the only sibling that Zaalbar had in real life had tried to exile him and then kill him.

"_My father…has requested that I honor my promise that I made to him all those months ago…_" Zaalbar began "_He wishes for me to take my place among the Wookiee Chieftains. To return to Kashyyyk. I forged that promise when I took Bacca's Ceremonial Blade._"

"So the increased frequency of your late-night raids are a part of that." Revan continued slowly.

"_That and the fact that you scream out in the middle of the night. It's worse than Mission's snoring! You're always screaming things like 'they're behind it all!' or something about 'Dromund Kaas'…_"

"That's it!" Revan jumped up…and bashed his head against a low-hanging girder. "Ow…"

Zaalbar looked at Revan curiously "_What is Dromund Kaas_?" He growled curiously.

Revan looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping "Alright…I'll tell you Zaalbar, but on your life-debt, swear to me that you will never speak a word of this to anyone. Understand?" Zaalbar nodded "Good. Now, Dromund Kaas is a planet in the Unknown Regions. It's also where I believe the remnants of the Sith Empire are rebuilding and planning their next assault."

"_But we destroyed the Sith_!" Zaalbar protested. He rummaged through his bandoleer "_Look! I have a piece of the Star Forge as proof!_"

"Yes, we did destroy my empire." Revan nodded "And I thought I told you not to sell pieces of our adventures off as trinkets for treasure hunters! But that's not important. We destroyed Malak and the rest of the Sith, but not the True Sith. The remaining fragments of the empires of Freedon Nadd, Naga Sadow, the ancient Sith species. No, the true threat is still out there."

"_This is a lot for me to keep secret_." Zaalbar groaned "_What if something happens and you die? Can I tell Bastila?_"

"Absolutely not!" Revan said "You can't tell anyone. Their knowing of this would only put them in more danger than they already are…Oh, so that's what Jolee meant by 'His hunger will point the way." Revan burst out laughing. Zaalbar scratched his head and gathered his snacks before trudging back to his bunk. Revan was a strange fellow indeed…

**Administration Sector, Galactic City**

"The building's one of the safest in the sector." The real estate agent, a pleasant sweet-smelling Bothan said as they walked through the hall "Jedi Master Arca Jeth once stayed here. I believe it was the location of one of the current Jedi Council member's Knighting Ceremony…"

"Yes," Revan said, feeling the presence of a younger Vrook Lamar. Surprisingly, this echo in the Force was an oxymoron: There was no such thing as a happy Vrook Lamar.

"The top level contains the master bedroom, a kitchen and lounge, as well as the upper landing pad which can hold a shuttle-size vessel and a side pad that can hold a starfighter."

"Isn't this lovely?" Bastila murmured to Revan "The baby will love growing up here. Can't you just imagine it?" She turned to Revan, who had a pained look on his face.

"This will be a lovely place for the baby…and for you." Revan manage to choke out before turning away, ashamed to let Bastila see the single tear that had escaped his eyes.

"Revan," Bastila hugged him gently "I know you will leave, but that's the future. Let us live in the present for now, and enjoy what time we have together. The Force has given us at least that."

Revan smiled gently and kissed her forehead "I only wish it could be for eternity…"

**Private Landing Pad, Coruscant**

The sky was tinted dark pink as the sun poked lazily over the metal horizon. Revan took in the morning air with a sigh before trudging up toward the battered _Dynamic_-class freighter sitting on the landing pad.

The place had not come cheap, and it was only thanks to former friends of the late Jolee Bindo that the two had managed to buy it.

Revan walked over to the small work table on the side of the pad, before removing a pair of greaves from a storage container and putting them on.

"So, that's just it then?" Revan smiled sadly and turned around to see Bastila standing in her robe by the door. The faintest bulge indicated her pregnancy.

"Yeah, that's just is." Revan replied. Bastila wiped a tear from her eye and embraced her lover. Revan held back his own tears, for even though he knew the day would come, he was not prepared for the emotional ties he had to cut.

"I want to come with you." Bastila said between sniffs.

"I know…" Revan whispered gently "But you can't. I won't allow it."

Bastila looked at Revan deeply in the eye "What will I tell him? How will I impart the true legacy his father left him? What if you don't come back? Is he to be that kid whose father ran off before he was even born? Must he be raised, mocked as a bastard?"

Revan cradled her face, running his roughened hands over her smooth features. "Those are questions you must answer for yourself my love. But in answer to your first question…" From within the folds of his cloak, Revan pulled out a small icosahedron, glowing blue and silver. "Give this to him when he passes his Trials. That will answer all his questions." Bastila took the holocron in her hands before fiercely kissing Revan one last time.

"Goodbye…Bastila Shan." Revan said, breaking their embrace and leaving Bastila still holding the holocron in her hands.

As Revan ascended the boarding ramp, Bastila called out to him. "What will I name him?"

Revan stopped and shouted back "Call him Trask!"

* * *

Bastila watched as the freighter finally disappeared into the crowded skies of Coruscant. She felt the air turn frigid as a dark presence in the Force leaped down from the top of the building.

"So…he has left." Darth Acheron said through the scarf that covered the lower half of her face. Her eyes gleamed with fury.

"Yes…" Bastila said, shifting slightly to hide the worktable from Acheron, and picked up a hydrospanner "You missed him. Pity."

"Then I shall settle for his discovery of your mutilated corpse when he comes back…if he ever does…" Bastila wheeled around and hurled the hydrospanner at Acheron with the true skill of a Jedi Sentinel.

Acheron howled as the tool hit her in her one good eye, and bent over, clutching the bleeding eye. Behind her, two more Sith Acolytes materialized as they deactivated their stealth field generators.

"You spoiled Jedi bitch!" Blue fire crackled in Acheron's outstretched palms and danced toward Bastila, who somersaulted backwards and Force-called a blaster to her hand, before forcing Acheron into retreat with a spray of bolts.

Acheron ducked behind a crate before leaping back out and activating her lightsaber. Punching Bastila in the neck, she cleaved the blaster in two before Force-shoving the Jedi into a small Jedi fighter sitting on the side-pad. Bastila clutched her throat as she attempted to breath, due to the fact that the air had been knocked out of her in the impact.

"Star's end…" She murmured, feeling around behind her on the underside of the fighter's fuselage before finding what she was looking for: a small cylindrical tube. Dustil's backup lightsaber, which he had constructed a month after the attack on Manaan.

Activating its pure viridian blade, she charged forward and locked blades with Acheron. The two women danced and parried across the pad, attracting no attention in the bustling skylanes of Coruscant. The two Sith held back, letting their mistress take out her anger on the female Jedi.

"Bastila!" Bastila turned her head to see the transparisteel doors open and three heavily armed figures rush out onto the pad: Mission Vao, Zaalbar, and Dustil Onasi. While Mission let loose with her two Arkanian heavy blasters, Zaalbar and Dustil ran forward to help Bastila, Zaalbar wielding the blade of Bacca, and Dustil wielding his lightsaber.

Acheron whipped out a small violet shoto and blocked Dustil's first attack. The young Jedi Guardian flipped over her head and landed a surgical strike to her left shoulder. Acheron fed on the pain and parried Dustil's next attack before executing a roundhouse kick and knocking the air out of him.

Bastila leaped over Acheron's head, attempting to strike her in the back, but Acheron had reflexes and skills that even the famed Battle Meditation could not counteract. Driving the power of the Force into her fist, Acheron punched Bastila and sent her skidding across the pad. Bastila now hung by the rim of the pad, hanging precariously over the depths of Coruscant. If she fell, she would fall for hours.

Mission was forced to stop her barrage of bolts before she ran over to Bastila. Suddenly, she tripped and nearly fell over the edge. Glaring angrily at the two Sith, she activated her mechanical arm's personal pulse field and reached out to grab Bastila's hand before struggling to pull the weight of the older woman back onto the pad.

If there was one lesson the Sith in general should have learned, it was to never upset a Wookiee; especially one who had made a life-debt to their arch-nemesis. Zaalbar picked up one Sith by the throat and flung him over the side of the landing pad before grabbing the other Sith's lightsaber handle and crushing it like a grape. He then picked the Sith and held him over his head before flinging the struggling man into the shuttle. Something cracked in the man's neck and he rolled to the ground, rag-doll style.

Nursing his swollen neck, Dustil grabbed one of Acheron's hands and forced it away from his face before grabbing the other hand and locking the two of them in a wrestling style stance. It was a brilliant plan…until Acheron bashed her head against Dustil and kicked out, hitting him in the throat and sending him crashing to the floor. She would have finished him off if Zaalbar had not let out an earth-shattering roar.

"You're outnumbered 4 to 1…what's your name?" Dustil growled, standing back up as Mission and Zaalbar ran over to join them, Mission now wielding both her personal vibroblade and the prototype one from the _Endar Spire_. Zaalbar had confiscated the first Sith's lightsaber and was wielding it in conjunction with his own blade.

"Well Sith?" Bastila said, accepting the yellow double-bladed lightsaber that Zaalbar had thrown to her.

"For the failed Sith, you'll never know. As for failed Sith number 2, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a failure-as-a-Jedi-_and_-a-Sith to catch!" Acheron said "Until next time…Jedi." She depressed a button on her gauntlet, and a small black shuttle shot upwards from the depths of Coruscant.

"Stop her!" Dustil managed to wheeze, but Acheron sent all three closing in on her flying back with a Force Wave and took a running leap into the shuttle.

"We won't be seeing you." Acheron said before the door closed and the shuttle blasted off towards the Undercity.

Dustil cursed and brought out a comlink. "CSF? This is Onasi Delta Bravo reporting an unregistered black DengaCorp. Streak-45 shuttle currently heading along the Republica Speedway." He jumped into his starfighter and began keying in the activation sequence.

"Copy that Delta Bravo. We have six units in the area. Pursuit is initiated." Said the voice of Commander Saron Debliba, head of CSF's Galactic City division.

"Be warned, that shuttle is carrying Sith and/or possibly Dark Jedi." Dustil said urgently as the blue-and-white fighter lifted off the landing pad "One of them is possibly a member of the insurgents who participated in the skirmish aboard the medical frigate _Hope_."

"_It's hopeless_." Zaalbar groaned as the trio watched Dustil disappear into the skylanes "_By the time they find a trace of the shuttle, the Sith will be offplanet_."

"Maybe…" Bastila answered vaguely "…maybe not…"

**Low-orbit, Coruscant**

"Captain, we've picked up the _Ebon Hawk_'s ID signature. It's currently leaving Coruscanti orbit at a rate of 600 kilometers per minute."

Juhani sat up and commed the _Shadow Catcher_. "Mekel, Thalia, we're sending you the information. Be ready to jump at my mark. Three…two…one…mark!"

Detaching themselves from various bits of space junk, two small vessels blasted off in the wake of the _Ebon Hawk_.

"I don't care what you say Revan…" Juhani grumbled "But you aren't going anywhere without us."

Aboard the sleek black frigate that silently followed them, a woman chuckled "Yes Cathar…he's not going anywhere without us."

_**Ebon Hawk**_**, en route to Mid Rim**

Revan sighed as he punched in the coordinates for Descate (Pronounced Des-ca-te), an asteroid refueling station orbiting the Rainbow Nebula. Behind him, T3 let out a mournful blurp before asking Revan a question.

"No, I don't think we'll be taking on any passangers T3" Revan sighed "Though we might take on some new droids." At this, T3 blurped quite cheerfully. It was, after all, hard to have a psychotic assassin droid as your only counterpart.

Revan set the ship on autopilot and trudged back to the main hold. He glanced at the now empty secondary hold where Juhani used to meditate, at the seats on the right of the holoprojector where Zaalbar used to lounge…

[Observation: Master, I am detecting signs all concurrent with the emotion nostalgia emanating from you.] HK said, as he attacked a rusty screw with his sonic drill. [Statement: It has come to my attention that the probability of us succeeding in this quest is approximately 5,374 to 1. In essence, it is a suicide mission.]

"That's what my life's been about." Revan murmured "Suicide missions. My life's full of them. It's not really a suicide mission if you don't die is it?"

**Descate Mining Facility**

Revan inhaled the stale air of the habitation bubble before strolling down the landing pad, with T3 close behind. HK had volunteered to watch the ship while the duo searched for purchases.

As they passed two plasteel containers, neither noticed the tops shift a little, and two sets of eyes peer from the darkness within.

"Great idea Juhani…now my tunic's covered in swesonberry mush!"

"Be quiet! Revan's pausing by the astromech droid dealership."

"Oh, these are the best 'mechs you'll find in the galaxy." The dealer, a wizened Ithorian was saying to Revan.

T3 beeped excitedly and blooped a greeting to an orange-and-grey 3C-series astromech droid, who blooped in return.

"Now how much for this one?" Revan asked, pointing to the 3C-series astromech droid.

"Oh, you mean little 3C-FD? Well, he's seen many a battle during the Mandalorian Wars. Pulled me out of many a tight pickle if I do say so."

"You fought in the Mandalorian Wars?" Revan asked "I thought Ithorians were pacifists."

"Well, most of us are." The Ithorian burbled out of his two mouths "But I felt my skills as a slicer and mechanic would be better put to use on an Republic vessel rather than repairing one of the motherships flying over Ithor. Did you fight in the Wars?"

"Oh yes…" Revan murmured "I was the Revanchist."

The Ithorian peered at him through narrowed eyes "Anyone else who would have said that would be lying, but I met the Revanchist once. I have no quarrels with you. You're just a Jedi who fell off the path. It's happened to a lot."

"Thank you for those kind words, but I don't deserve them" Revan said "Let's talk price. I would like to buy 3C-FD, two of those maintenance droids, a pair of those _Sentinel_-class battle droids, and that T2-series droid…what is his designation…T2-H8?"

"Well, normally I would sell for 6,000 credits," The Ithorian began "But I feel that you're a nicer fellow. 2,500 for the lot!" While Revan dug out his credcard, the droids began chatting with T3, who began telling them tales of a city-wide planet now reduced to ruin, a space station that was a self-running factory, adventures on ocean planets and jungle worlds, and most of all, of their new master.

"Thank you sir." Revan said. He was about to turn around when he heard a man calling.

"Milo? Milo Antelos!" Revan turned around to see a middle-age man wearing a brown tunic. His voiced sounded familiar.

"Remember me? We last met on Taris before the Sith turned the planet into dust! I'm Hudrow, Davik Kang's old pilot for the _Ebon Hawk_!"

Revan smiled and gave Hudrow a hug "Of course, Hudrow! How did you escape Davik's estate?"

Hudrow rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish grin "How? Why, I stole Davik's modified Sith Interceptor. I managed to get offplanet before the Sith realized that I wasn't one of theirs! And so…here I am!"

"Come on, let's get a drink. Catch up." Revan laughed "T3, take these droids back to the ship. Clean them up, upgrade their systems, and remove their restraining bolts."

As the pair walked away, Juhani crept out of her storage container. "Droid!" She hissed to T3. The little droid's first reaction was to screech and run back to his master, but Mekel tackled him to the ground before he could turn around. "Easy T3! Easy!"

The droid began rattling off a series of chimes and whistles. "Yes…yes…I know that Revan wanted to go on his quest alone, but seriously, do you think he'll survive on his own out there?" T3 stopped and let out a long _blooooooo_.

"Exactly." Mekel said "Now, Hudrow's going to chat with Revan and then our 'surprise' will join them and inform Revan. He can't say no to all of us…"

* * *

"Where have you been since the destruction of Taris?" Revan asked, gulping down a shot of Juma.

"Well, I traveled around with Duncan…" Revan coughed up his drink.

"Duncan…as in Deadeye-Duncan? The-worst-fighter-in-the-Tarisian-dueling-ring-and-supposed-to-be-dead Deadeye-Duncan?"

"Yep." Hudrow continued "He managed to get offplanet by stealing a Sith carrier that came down to pick up the troops. Along with Zelka Forn, Gadon Thek and a few of his Hidden Beks, they skipped planet just as the buildings began to crumble…"

Revan was in shock and nodded his head slowly. "So…not all of the people who helped me paid for the price of our rescue of Bastila…"

"Bastila? As in that woman who was with you in Davik Kang's estate? Oh yeah, heard about something between you two. Some mercs who fought in the battle about that Star Forge thing mentioned you. Is it true you two had an extravagant affair?"

Revan boxed Hudrow over the head. "Well, as much as I enjoyed seeing you again Hudrow, I best be off." Hudrow nodded and went back to his drink. Revan tipped the bartender before strolling out.

Before the dust had even settled from when Revan's cloak had dragged along the floor, a female Cathar and dark-skinned man in Mandalorian armor sidled up to Hudrow. "I'll say, I'm impressed." Rohlan Dyre chuckled, motioning a serving girl for a menu.

"You get the data?" Hudrow asked.

"Yes," Juhani replied "Revan's next stop is the Sith homeworld of Ziost."

"Ouch," Hudrow winced "Had a friend whose granddad did a job for the Sith way back when. Smuggled some holocrons to Ziost. Apparently, still has nightmares about it."

"Well, nightmares or not, that's where we're going." Rohlan said, swiping Hudrow's drink and downing it in one gulp "Come on flyboy, let's hope you didn't waste our credits in that purchase of yours…"

* * *

Please R & R!


	20. Chapter 20: The Untold Chapter

And So begins part 3 of Darth Revan: The Prodigal Knight

Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 3**

**Into the Unknown**

* * *

_**Ebon Hawk**_**, en route to Ziost**

"Teethree, pull up the Republic's information on Ziost. Specifically the history, starting at the beginning of the end of the Great Hyperspace Wars."

T3-M4 nodded his head and rolled to a terminal. A holorecording of a long-dead female human Jedi Master with black hair appeared in the communications room.

[_Recording Session 1. Command just sent us our orders. The Chancellor has initiated a military offensive against the Sith. The joint taskforce of Jedi and Republic soldiers will sweep through the Sith Empire and level their strongholds to the ground…_]

The holorecording flickered out before clearing up. It appeared to have been recorded several weeks later. The female Jedi was in full Jedi battle armor and her face showed many miniscule cuts and bruises.

[…_Nicht Kar and Bosthirda have fallen to the 1__st__ and 5__th__ Battle Groups. Our orders are to continue on to Ziost. Master Zen was killed during the fighting at Kalsunor, his flagship blown to bits by the Sith fleet. We have fleets blockading the worlds of Rhelg and Begeren, but the Sith aren't giving up. After Ziost, our next destination is…-static-…I don't know what we're going to find on Ziost, but by the Force, I hope we survive..._]

The next recording began two months after the previous one. However, the image was grainy and kept on flickering. The Jedi Master had a deep gash in her forehead and one arm hung limply at her side.

[_I don't know if anyone will hear…-__**static**__-…-ve hours after departing Ziost…-canners picked up ionization trai-…investigated…-__**static**__-…what fools we were…ed us to…und Ka…our shields'…critical…drifting…are offline…{ATTENTION: ALL HANDS…-__**static**__-…PARE FOR B-}…can't move my left…-__**static**__-…to go…-_transmission ends in static overload]

After the image faded, the familiar figure of former Jedi Chronicler Bala Nisi walked into view. She gazed solemnly at the unseen recording device and began talking.

[_This is the last known communications from Jedi Master Illyra of the Omega Fleet. Three months after their battle group left with the rest of the task force from Coruscant, all communications were lost with the Omega Fleet after a Republic outpost received a partial SOS distress beacon from the flagship, _Secoya_. There were no further communications from the fleet, and all vessels were assumed destroyed in an accident. Attempts by the rest of the task force to launch a rescue mission failed._

_Approximately a year later, smugglers working for the Republic recovered hull fragments orbiting a gas giant that were proven to belong to one of the carriers of the Omega Fleet. Although carbon testing proved useless due to the radiation emitting from the gas giant, there were distinct blast marks on some of the larger hull fragments, indicating a large-scale battle. It is unknown how far they drifted from the vessel's final resting place, as most traces were wiped away by the radiation, and so far, it is the only evidence we have of the fleet's destruction. All attempts to trace the origin of the debris have failed, and we must realize that the truth of what happened to the Omega Fleet will never be known._]

"That's what you think." Revan muttered. "T3, slice into the Republic Intelligence mainframe and see if you can locate the data that the researchers had on the debris."

T3 twisted his socket arm and began making the long journey through cyberspace to find his target.

"Threesee, I want you to see if you can find a map of the Sith Empire, preferably prior to the Great Hyperspace Wars. Put it on the main holoprojector."

In the Cargo Hold, HK-47 was installing the new droid recharging stations, as well as fitting gun racks into empty crates. The two _Sentinel_-class combat droids stood to the side, upgrading the Mandalorian assault rifles that T3 had given them. Their designations were SC-20 "Aurek" and SC-21 "Besh". Upon Revan's questioning of their names (He had allowed the two droids to nickname themselves), the two had just looked at Revan and Aurek had said [Revan is a strange name as well. It does not refer in any way to your body or your species or anything related to that.]

3C-FD gave a smug bloop to indicate that he had found the map. It was an old star chart made by some smuggler who had fought for the Republic and served as a scout.

Revan stared at the 3-D image. "There's Nicht Kar…Begeren…Ziost is all the way on the edge of the galaxy. What's that thing in the middle?" He pointed to the center of the chart, which for some odd reason was just a fuzzy fluxuating rainbow mess. 3C shook his receptors as if to say "_Beats me as well_". He then overlapped the image with a stolen Exchange star chart. This time, where there had been a great blurry section in the middle of the map, it just read as empty space.

"There's something there that someone doesn't want us to find." Revan mused "But what?"

T3 rolled into the Main Hold, and plugged into a socket next to 3C. The map shimmered into nonexistence and was replaced with the image of an orange gas giant. A Nautolan officer appeared beside the gas giant. "T3, zoom in on the caption above that guy's head." Revan said. The image focused on the red caption and Revan grinned triumphantly. "Hidden data stream. Probably something they didn't want getting into the wrong hands. T3, try and crack that open."

The image zoomed in even closer until a single letter, A filled the image. The image swooped inside the A, revealing a complex series of codes and messages embedded in the transmission. A few minutes later, the Nautolan officer shimmered out and reappeared, but he was wearing a black and grey uniform with the emblem of the Republic Intelligence Agency.

[_**This message is for Republic Intelligence Archives, and is not to be put on any database available for public viewing**__: Carbon testing was not entirely a failure, and we confirmed that most of the debris belonged to the carrier _Toradian_. But some of the debris belonged to several other ships, mostly other cruisers in the fleet, but also what appeared to be parts of the bridge of a Sith battle carrier. Also, only about a third of debris was hull fragments. The rest was parts of the _Toradian_'s crew quarters, bridge, and engines. The smugglers have been sworn to secrecy, and are currently being relocated._

_**The following can only be viewed by those with Level 5 Access clearance**__: Despite what the official records say, we did find the fleet…or what was left of it. A convoy of vessels launched in secret from the Corellian shipyards and reconstructed the ionization trail left by the remains of the engines. The fleet lay some 30 lightyears away, and we found a total of six ships out of the thirty-four chosen for that battle group. One of them was _Secoya.] The screen faded and began showing a slideshow of frozen corpses and the remains of several ancient vessels

[_There are just a few of the images we took. Besides the six vessels, we found fragments from the fuselages of several hundred Sith fighters. From what holo-recordings we could scavenge from the computer cores, we were able to see the fleet arrive in the sector to find an armada of unknown heavily-armed capital ships. There, the recordings end. But the next piece of information may be the most important: Upon arriving at the Secoya, we found a partial atmosphere in its upper hull. Apparently, some of the ship had sealed off before decompression. When we finally managed to break into the compartments, we found the remains of some of our soldiers, and many had died within the last couple of weeks or so. I don't know how, but we recovered three survivors. All were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. Sadly, the survivors died not three hours after we rescued them from the ship. However, one of the survivors told me before he died that Jedi Master Illyra and five other Jedi onboard managed to obtain a shuttle and escaped the battle with a few men and Admiral Pearson. His memory of the incident was fuzzy, but he recalled that the shuttle reported that it was under attack a few minutes after launching. Our efforts to locate the shuttle if it survived turned up nothing_.]

"HK!" The hunter-killer droid ran into the Main Hold.

[Query: What do you need master?]

"Can you tell me the probability of survival for a shuttle that has escaped an ambush of its fleet and was last heard from as under fire from several Great Hyperspace War-era starfighters?"

[Processing…processing…Calculations complete. Statement: The probability of a shuttle escaping from an attack by a wing of starfighters is subject to different probabilities. Weight, the condition of the inhabitants, and many other possibilities factor in. If the pilot and/or co-pilot is drunk, 9,998.999999% probability that the shuttle is destroyed. If the fighters damage the engine pods-]

Revan put his head in his hands. "There's about six Jedi onboard plus perhaps a small squad of Republic soldiers and the admiral of the fleet." He growled "And I don't know the make or armaments of the shuttle, so factor that in you trigger-happy wirebox!"

[Indignant statement: Master, I was only stating the possibilities and factors. Your request was too broad. Evaluation: With the new data you have given me, I predict a 74.425% chance of the shuttle surviving, not factoring in their shield status or whether or not their hyperdrive was active.]

"Great." Revan nodded.

[Master…] One of the maintenance droids rolled into the main hold along with Aurek. [Master, my counterpart here has detected numerous ionization trails five parsecs off our starboard bow. One of them resembles the signature of the vessel that the Sith lady used during their ambush of us on the _Hope_.]

"Take us out of hyperspace." Revan said urgently "Start scanning for the nearest asteroid field and emerge on the outer border."

[Statement: I have detected a transmission imbound from Coruscant. It is addressed to you Master.]

"_Revan, it's Bastila. I know you said not to contact you, and I don't know if this message will reach you in time, but that Sith lady, she's coming after you. She already attacked the house and Dustil's gone after her. We haven't heard from him since_." Revan frowned. Then it clicked into place. "HK, scan for freighter signatures in the area-"

[Master, the Moonflower Nebula is less than 3 kliks away.] Aurek reported from the cockpit [It is speckled through with asteroids and should provide excellent cover from the Sith vessel.]

"Forget that little bit HK. Prep the ship. We're going into that nebula!"

**Moonflower Nebula**

As the _Ebon Hawk_ reverted to realspace on the edge of the nebula, a sheath of red energy spread from the bow of the vessel to the stern. The ship shimmered, like a reflection on the water when a ripple hits it, and disappeared from sight.

A few seconds later, three elongated-triangle shaped vessels dropped out of hyperspace, followed by several smaller craft. Finally, another vessel dropped out of hyperspace. The command area of the vessel appeared to be shaped like the head of a cobra. Two fins jutted out from the sides, and the back end of each one was elongated, ending in a tapered point. The back of the cobra-shaped module connected to a much longer blade-shaped section that ended at the same length as the elongated fins.

Scores of fighters resembling Sith fighters except with an extra set of fins making each wing resemble a V began launching from the vessels, accompanied by several sets of bombers resembling axe blades.

[Master, several transports are beginning sweeps of the nebula.] Besh reported from the navigation station.

[Alarmed Statement: Master, the Sith bombers are launching seismic charges into the nebula!] HK cried out. Revan moved to the controls, but T3 deliberately tripped him and began rattling off a long line of angry beeps and whistles.

"Alright, alright!" Revan said, gathering his robes around himself. "But when those sonic charges hit a little too close to home, it'll be your fault that we were crippled because the stealth system _had_ to be maintained."

[Suggestion: We can move the ship Master, but only slowly, and to remain hidden from their sensors, I suggest we shut down all systems save for thrusters-]

"Life support?"

[Amused statement: I believe the spacesuits in the storage locker should be suitable. If not, there will still be atmosphere within the vessel, and you can use a rebreather mask. That would remove any hindrance on your movement.]

"Alright then." Revan said "Shift our position after every 5 charge detonations. That should scrap whatever sonic data they may have gathered. But if they should enter the nebula, then get us the hell out of here."

Streaks of blue fire shot out from the bombers, followed by what could only be identified as a warped Bith guitar. A sonic pulse shot out of the first charge, spreading like a blue ring around it.

Two more charges were launched into the nebula, one barely missing a large asteroid. If anyone had been there, they might have seen a section of the asteroid ripple before returning back to normal, but of course, no one saw it. But the sensors on the charge did…

"My lady," Admiral Yevelon Seskin strode up to the front of the bridge "We've detected a cloaked vessel clutching onto one of the larger asteroids. But they're too far into the nebula, and we can't get a precise location…"

"Launch all fighter wings into the nebula…" Acheron said. She stood without the scarf covering her face today. Sith alchemy and advanced engineering had completely internalized the implants throughout her body and healed whatever scars she may have had.

"All fighters? But my lady, the nebula is filled with asteroids-ach!" Seskin clutched his throat in desperation, trying and failing to remove whatever had been blocking his airway.

"If you disobey me again Admiral, know that there are far worse fates than dying." Seskin gulped in as the air rushed back into his throat before scrambling to relay her commands.

[They've detected us!] Besh exclaimed.

"Take the chameleon field offline." Revan ordered "Bring all systems online and chart a hyperspace course for Ziost!"

[Warning: Master, we will not be able jump to hyperspace until we clear the nebula, and then we still have to clear the Sith armada!]

"We'll worry about that when the time comes." Revan growled "Punch it!"

As the chameleon field rippled and disappeared, the _Ebon Hawk_'s engines turned bright orange and the ship detached from the asteroid field. Suddenly, a streak of red blasterfire slammed into the aft starboard hull. The _Ebon Hawk_ rocked as Revan desperately attempted to reorient the ship.

[We're doomed!] Aurek wailed when he saw the scores of fighters following close behind the ship from his position in the ventral turbolaser turret.]

[Commentary: Nonsense!] HK said, vaporizing two fighters with a blast of rapid fire [Just aim and shoot!] Revan ducked and weaved between the asteroids, counting on the fighters' bad maneuverability to lose them. Several fighters impacted against an asteroid, but the others kept on coming.

Revan winced as the ship took a tight vertical turn between two asteroids. Metal screeched as the rock dug into the hull. "Fire turrets at that asteroid!" Revan ordered. Aurek aimed his cannon and blasted one asteroid to bits.

[No good. This one doesn't have enough carbon gas in it.]

[This one does.] Besh said, and blasted a rock off the ship's starboard before Revan could stop him. Without warning, the asteroid detonated, sending the _Ebon Hawk_ tumbling out of control.

[Command: Stabilize, stabilize!] HK roared, heaving the controls to one side. The ship rocked and complained as it was brought nearly to the breaking point.

"Exiting nebula in 3…2…1…now!"

Trailing a cloud of gas and vapor, the _Ebon Hawk_ broke free of the nebula...right into the heart of the Sith fleet!

"Oh shit!" Revan twisted the ship to avoid a collision with one of the scout transports. The shields groaned as the vessel shot a rack full of concussion missiles into the stern of the _Ebon Hawk_.

[Our shields are holding…] Aurek reported. T3 and T2 were all over the Engine Room and Main Hold, putting out fires that were springing up all over the place.

The freighter went into a tight spiral, weaving between the large capital ships and attempting to avoid the streams of cannonfire aimed at them.

Everyone was thrown out of their seats when, with a might _**BANG**_ and the sound of metal-against-metal, the MPM was torn out of its socket by the strain it was under. Revan winced and crawled towards the helm. "Our hyperdrive's been knocked out!" He growled. He turned and saw 3C at the communications station. "What the hell are you doing?"

3C replied that he was sending out a distress signal, what did it look like? [Enraged statement: There is no way you orange tin can that someone would respond to a distress call all the way out here-]

The nav computer began beeping, signaling the arrival of new ships. [Correction: Of course, I could always be wrong…]

"Admiral Seskin! I have a Torrent battle fleet bearing 20195, directly at our flanks!" Behind the paniced lieutenant, another bridge crewperson yelped in panic.

"They're firing at us!" Seskin glared at the ships with ultimate loathing and turned to his second-in-command. "Commander Pars, order all vessels to lock onto that freighter with their tractor beams…"

"Sir?" Seskin whirled around to see the _Ebon Hawk_ disappear into one of the hangar bays of the enemy armada before the entire fleet jumped to hyperspace. "DAMN IT!"

**Hyperspace, hangar bay of the **_**Devoltar**_

The first thing that Revan saw when he stepped down the boarding ramp was a squad of men training weapons on him. HK muttered darkly and with both Aurek and Besh, he descended closely behind Revan.

"State your name, rank, and affiliation." This came from a dark-skinned man wearing navy robes and a cream-colored tunic underneath.

"Revan, Jedi Master/General, none, but formerly the Republic, Jedi Order…and before that, the Sith Empire…" The guards didn't lower their rifles. In fact, they powered up the firing sequence and started yelling for Revan to get on the ground, but the man smiled, ordered them to stand down, and shifted his robes, revealing a silver tube hanging at his side.

"Let's take a walk…"

"When her fleet was attacked by the Sith, our founder, Jedi Master Illyra, half a score of her Jedi Knights, a squad of Republic soldiers, and Admiral Pearson escaped in a shuttle. It was badly damaged, and they only managed to get a few lightyears away. Thankfully, that was far enough."

"Upon reverting to realspace, they found themselves at the edge of a dense nebula. It spanned many lightyears, and covered at least 10 systems. It was in one of these systems that the crew of the shuttle found a habitable planet orbiting a red giant star. The inhabitants of the system, the Semakhi, were hyperspace-capable and had no love for the Sith, who would lead raiding parties to steal their Force-sensitive young. We established a settlement on planet using parts from the shuttle and materials provided by the Semakhi. Ever since then, our mission has been waging a guerilla war with the Sith Empire, and hoping we can delay their eventual invasion of the galaxy."

"The origin of this Sith Empire is unclear, but we have ascertained that it is being led by the same…can't find a better word so _man_…who founded the empire. We've found traces of the empire as far back as the Sith Wars."

"We call them the Great Hyperspace Wars." Revan sighed "But that wasn't the end of the Sith attacks on the Republic."

The Jedi looked at him curiously. He reminded Revan of a younger Jolee Bindo, except that this guy had hair, which was neatly tied up in a white ponytail.

"I never introduced myself to you. The name's Bindo. Phiran Bindo." He frowned when Revan stopped short, like he'd seen a ghost. "Something the matter?"

"You…Bindo…your ancestors were Jedi?"

"Yes, though some generations skipped the Force-sensitivity, but for the majority, we were Jedi…at least I think. I don't really know that much about the Force-sensitive side of my genes."

"Did…did you have any family?"

"You mean _do_? I have a wife and two daughters." Revan looked at him "We've become more relaxed than the true Order. For example, we accept adults for training. But back to my family…I remember that my father didn't come from our colony, but was rather a Jedi who met my mother when she was running a supply mission to the Outer Rim. Don't think we've been in the dark all this time. That incident I'm talking about happened about 60 or so years before the so-called "Mandalorian Wars". I never really met the rest of my family. I do remember a hazy image from when I was an adolescent…my father who was bent with age came and took me to Coruscant to see my family for the first and last time. I can't really remember the faces, but I do remember a couple of names…my cousin, who was just a toddler back then…Jolee I think…there was his sister…Maya…" Revan sat against the wall.

"Hey…you alright?"

"What?...yeah." Revan said "Just dizzy."

Phiran looked concerned "That beating your ship took. Might have gotten you a concussion. We'll take you to the med lab. HD-5 is the best mechno-surgeon this side of the Corellian Trade Route."

* * *

[Your scan shows minor fractures to the head. I am prescribing you a dose of Tyrexoprin for the next week to help with the pain while the wounds heal.] The deep masculine voice of HD-5 fit perfectly with his keel-shaped head and blue voice-synthesizer.

[I would suggest that you avoid any extreme physical activities, weight lifting, participation in armed conflicts, intense sexual inter-]

"Wait…what?" Revan almost burst out laughing "That's usually not something a medical droid would add to a list of things to avoid."

[I am not just a medical droid.] HD-5 corrected. One of his two streamlined arms reached to a handle on his torso and opened the cover to reveal a small chamber. Inside, a turquoise gemstone shot through with white quartz sat in a metal clamp with wires leading off from it.

"What…what is that?" Revan asked, eyes filled with wonder.

[My species has no name, though some of the Torrent and Sentinel Knights call us the 'Shard'. We are living 'crystals' of sorts, though our intelligence is only known to the Tempest Coalition and fragments of the True Sith Empire.] Revan, curious, extended his Force aura. Sure enough, he could detect intelligence from the glowing crystal, as well as something he hadn't expected.

"Your species is Force-sensitive?"

[No, we are like the majority of the inhabitants of the galaxy. Some us are, and some aren't.]

"Do you have a name other than HD-5?"

[My true nature is kept secret when we're boarded by Sith patrol ships or pirates, and to them, I'm just an outdated Healer Droid. Since we are crystals, the various names of the crystals you use to power the magnetic-field-covering-a-plasma-beam weapon, or 'laser sword', has intrigued us. My name is Opila.] The droid extended a hand, which Revan now warmly shook. [We should hurry.] Opila said, glancing at a chronometer [The briefing is about to begin.]

**Main Surveyor Lab, **_**Devoltar**_

Once a peaceful exploration vessel, the Devoltar had been transformed into a formidable destroyer. The surveyor lab was transformed into a briefing room, with the center holoprojector in the middle of the small arena shaped room acting as a holomap for battle briefings.

"We have a new face among us." Phiran began, now dressed in black pants and a high-collared grey shirt. "Ladies and gentlemen, and droids for that matter, may I present Revan, the Prodigal Knight!"

Revan shuffled his feet shyly as the group of soldiers, Force-wielders, and droids clapped their tentacles, arms, and fins.

"So Revan, tell us what you've come here for." Phiran said, once the applause had died down.

"What I've come here for? Where to start…" Revan said, racking his brains in deep thought.

"How about from the beginning." Phiran suggested helpfully. Revan smiled.

"The tale you are about to hear is a long one, and involves the sacrifices made by many brave men and women. Its origins span back a thousand years, but I will start a little more recently." T3 beeped behind him and a solid non-see-through image of had once been Taris appeared in the middle of the room.

"Let me take you back in time approximately 1 year. Let me take you to the skies above the planet Taris, home of the swoop racers and once a galactic trade hub. Its entire surface is covered with a city bearing the same name. But underneath this illusion of perfection, refugees and swoop gangs live in the slums of the Lower City, unable to enter the richer Upper City. Below them, hideous monsters roam the Undercity and sewers, mankind transformed by Sith Alchemy into beasts." The audience gasped as the image zoomed in, showing what Revan was talking about before zooming back out. This time, the image was different. An armada of _Interdictor_-class cruisers with their distinct pincer shape lay in low orbit, while more vessels appeared out of hyperspace to join them. A stream of shuttles and fighters were zooming down towards the surface.

"My second beginning began not long before this. I was a soldier onboard the Republic vessel _Endar Spire_." A _Hammerhead_-class cruiser dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the room, and a few minutes after seeing the Sith fleet, attempted to turn about and jump back to hyperspace.

"It was too late. Darth Malak, the commander of the Sith fleet, had activated his cruiser's interdictor field." Scores of Sith fighters swarmed the vessel, quickly crippling one of its two mighty engines and overloading the shields. Although the men and women at the gun turrets fought bravely, they couldn't target the fast moving swarm of Sith fighters. The vessel's complement of Aurek tactical strikefighters was incinerated in just a few minutes. Now, shuttles moved in to the docking ports.

The image flickered out. Suddenly, everyone gasped. One moment, they were sitting in the briefing room. The next, they were looking at a military quarters aboard a Republic vessel, not through the hologram, _but with their own eyes_. Revan grimaced, as he summoned the spirits of those who had sacrificed themselves for him to help tell the story. Trask…Jolee…everyone who had their part in it.

Revan showed more of his memories, taking the crowd with him as he and Trask realized that the ship had fallen to the Sith, Trask's murder at the hands of Darth Bandon, the crash-landing on Taris, the resulting adventures there, Darth Malak's bombardment of the planet…

Then the scene shifted, to show the wonderous plains of Dantooine, giant flying rays, the Jedi Enclave…

Everyone traveled to worlds they had never seen before, the elegant architecture of the Great Walkway, the dark Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, the Dune Seas of Tatooine, the Shyrack Caves of Korriban…

There were grunts of approval and sighs of relief when Revan, Bastila, and Juhani opened the doors leading back to the docking bay of Hrakert Station to find Darth Bandon and two Dark Jedi. Trask's death had been avenged.

Phiran's eyes were streaming with tears, when Revan first encountered the prodigal Padawan Jolee Bindo, and also when Jolee slowly told his life story to Revan. But he did laugh, especially at Jolee's dry jokes.

"My tale is one to be heeded." Revan's voice said to each individual, as they watched the Prodigal Knight and his friends bash down the hangar door of the Star Forge and begin firing nonstop at the wave of droids heading their way, before splitting up.

"It is one of friendship, love, sacrifice, but also one of betrayal, murder, and corruption. Most importantly, it is one of redemption…"

"…but that tale is finished" Revan continued, as Malak fell to the floor "Now it is time to make a new one." With that, everyone found themselves returned to the briefing room.

At first, there was silence. Then, HK shut himself down to prevent himself from going into audio overload as the sound of clapping and cheering filled the room. "That was truly incredible…" Phiran murmured, tears in his eyes. For he had seen a very different story. Aided by the spirit of Jolee Bindo, Revan had also shown Phiran the skirmish onboard the _Hope_, and Jolee's sacrifice.

"He died saving my life." Revan assured him, gripping him by the shoulders. "He was a true hero, taking on an opponent that even he couldn't have hoped to defeat."

"I know…" Phiran replied "But…I also know who killed him." At this, Revan's grip tightened.

"Who…is…she…?" He growled in a low threatening voice.

"Her name…" Phiran said darkly, staring out the door as if to make sure that she couldn't see them "…is Acheron…"

* * *

Please R & R!


	21. Chapter 21: The Purge Begins

**In response to Ovall Aocrog's question, yes, I made up the family of Jolee Bindo. I thought that some form of Jolee should still continue to accompany Revan.**

_**IMPORTANT: READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!**_

**I now face an important issue: For those of you who have seen exactly how much Obsidian cut out of KOTOR TSL, then you should know that Dustil Onasi was originally going to be the Jedi the Exile faced in the tomb of Ludo Kressh (Shyrack cave tomb), not the corpse of Nebellish (You can still see that the model used for Nebellish is actually Dustil Onasi). Dustil also would have been driven crazy by the tomb and asking why Carth hadn't come for him, before attacking the Exile who cut him down, unsure of whether or not he was a illusion until afterwards, when his body didn't disappear. Should I keep canon with the final version (Nebellish), or with the original intent (Dustil)? Please review with the answer.**

**Also, I am toying with the idea of a Mandalorian story. Originally, I was going to have a separate story, but now I am unsure of whether or not to have it separate or include it in this story. What are your thoughts?**

**This chapter explains how everyone thought Kavar was dead, and also ties into the attack on the Dorin Jedi enclave that was mentioned in the campaign guide.**

* * *

Jedi Council Chambers, Coruscant

"…and we have no idea where Revan has gone?" Master Vrook grumbled, staring at the empty seat of Master Zez-Kai Ell, as if the empty chair represented both him and the entire corps of Jedi Watchmen who had just recently left the planetary rehabilitations they were overseeing, renouncing the Order.

"He was a rallying point to both the Republic and the Sith." Vandar said sadly "His loss is a great one."

"And we have definitely ruled out foul play?" Master Kavar argued.

"Galactic City Port Control has a record of the _Ebon Hawk_ departing from Coruscanti space for parts unknown, and a magnified image shows Revan at the controls." This came from Jedi Shadow Thayton Prentiss, who was heading the new recovery efforts on the worlds of Yag'Dhul, Rodia, and Axxila and part of the Council of Rehabilitation, which was in charge of rebuilding the planets destroyed by the conquest of Darth Malak and Darth Revan.

"The record could have been faked" noted Rodian Jedi Weapons Master Ricol Tyle.

"But the possibilities of that are unlikely." Master Vash concluded.

"There is one other issue…" Master Kavar strode to the front of the room and pulled out a circular holoprojector,

"Approximately three hours ago, the Republic outpost on Dorin reported that they were under attack." A holorecording flickered into life, showing a grizzled trooper in full shock armor bent over another fallen trooper. In front of them stood Captain Temel, who ducked to avoid what could be assumed as blasterfire before making his report.

"_Master Kavar, this is Captain Temel Deprator of the Dorin Republic outpost and Jedi enclave! We are under attack by unknown forces. Requesting immediate…_"

"_FALL BACK! They've got HK units breaching the northern perimeter!_" Temel turned around to see the trooper who had yelled the warning get cut down by blasterfire before he whipped out his own blaster and began assisting his troopers while simultaneously continuing the message. One by one, his troopers were cut down until only he and a few others stood blocking what appeared to be a doorway.

"_We…ACK…need help! Our garrison can't hold out much longer against these…EEAARRGHHHhhhhhh…._" Everyone in the room tenses as tendrils of lightning appeared from the corner of the screen and engulfed Temel and his men, who fell to the floor, motionless.

"…and the transmission ends right there." Kavar finished.

"I saw what appeared to be a Rodian mercenary." Vrook noted "Pirates perhaps?"

"What pirate possesses the ability to shoot lightning from his hand?" Atris snapped "That was no robot or weapon firing the lightning. That was a Sith."

"I suggest that I take a small squad of Jedi Knights, the exact members being those of my choosing, to the outpost. We will investigate what happened and send a report once we have concrete evidence on who is responsible for this attack."

"I agree." Vandar nodded his head "Any objections?" There was no argument "Then we are in agreement. You will leave in two hours."

**Dorin, In orbit of Northern Perimeter**

_**Hammerhead**_**-class cruiser **_**Heart of Kel Dor**_

"This is our target." An IT-series utility droid was displaying a 3-D holomap of the Dorin Enclave and Republic outpost. Kavar stuck his finger into the map and at the place where his fingertip stopped, a red dot began flashing "This is the secondary entrance to the enclave from the forest floor. It also serves as an emergency escape route, and there's a hidden hangar a few kilometers away, with a shuttle large enough to hold the full compliment of the base and two starfighters for protection."

"There will be three teams inserted, the first being Alpha Squad, the second being Beta Squad, and the third being Epsilon Squad. First, a team of five will be inserted via skydiving into one of the lakes. There should be an underwater meditation center extending from the rock face a few miles below the surface at coordinates 56 dash 34 dash Alpha-9. A submersible hangar should be protruding from the center. Try to slice the door, and if that doesn't work, use your lightsabers and reseal the breach afterword, _but do not use explosives_. The last thing we need is for the Sith to panic, especially if there are survivors onboard."

"Once inside, make your way to the sub-level communications room. You should be able to hack into the security grid from there, and get control of at least the security cams. If you see hostages, radio us the code Risky-Delta-3. If all of the personnel and Jedi are dead, then radio in BlueSky-Omega-7. Either way, we should be dropping in right after that, so make sure to set the security grid in Sector 63-A to malfunction so we can arrive undetected. After that, unpack and assemble your heavy gear from the packs and make your way to the power generator."

"Beta Squad, led by me, will be inserted by shuttle in the woods. We'll make our way into 63-A and gain access to the maintenance shafts through one of the manholes. We'll use the shafts to enter the base from the south." A grid of maintenance shafts and power tubes swam into focus on the map. A red line indicated the team's intended route.

"Based on what scans we could get of the base through its jamming field, there should be three guards patrolling the dormitory sector. The team will split up and take down the guards separately before regrouping. I'm guessing the Sith are holding whatever hostages they have inside the command center, so all teams, avoid that area until we're all together. We'll use stealth field generators and make our way to the turbolift to the sub-level. Then we'll rejoin Alpha Squad."

"Finally, Epsilon Squad's job will be the hardest. While Alpha Squad is being inserted, you must take a cloaked craft and do a flyover above the Enclave. Drop onto the roof, and set the shuttle to continue flying until it hits the rockface a few miles away. That should draw away any patrol craft the Sith may have. Infiltrate the enclave and gather whatever survivors you may find in one of the storage rooms. Now, the enclave and the outpost are connected by a long network of three connecting corridors, with security and maintenance rooms set at specific intervals. Near the end of the network, the left passage goes above the outpost in a bridge. Do a visual scan and take note of the strength of the Sith forces, and any kind of heavy artillery or ships they might have. Then head to the sub-level and join the rest of us. Good luck."

**A lake approximately 34 kilometers from the Republic outpost**

The first thing Colin Cel-Drem was thankful for was that he had made his team wear full-body armorsuits, like lesser version of the environmental suits they had on Manaan. The water in which they had dropped into was clear, but due to Dorin's diverse atmosphere, the water wasn't recognized by standard rebreather masks, and required specialized equipment, like the small rigs they carried on their backs, to be processed into breathable air.

"Bolta, begin slicing the access panel." The Nautolan Jedi Knight and the only one who didn't require a oxygen helmet, instead relying on his headset to process data, nodded and swam to the access port, his head tentacles flying around.

Mion, the team's slicing expert and one of the three non-Jedi RSF commandos that Kavar had picked for this mission, swam over to join him "Click…click…got it!" With a grinding groan, the airlock doors rolled into their alcoves, allowing the team to swim in. Once they were all inside, Mion shut the door and drained the compartment of water before pressurizing it.

"Ok," Colin noted as he peeled the last of the hydro-repellent suit off of his combat gear. "Race, do your thing." The Mirialin nodded and lowered his heat-sensing visor.

"There are two guards in the sub bay, and one technician across the bay from our position. The guards are guarding the door…no, wait…they're leaving. I think I can see the next patrol at the far end of the corridor…" He stopped talking when without warning, the rest of the team bashed down the door and split up to take on the two guards who were about to open the door and the surprised technician, who fell to a well-placed stun bolt before he could unholster his blaster.

The two guards were a different story, mainly because one of them wore a particular trophy on his belt: a lightsaber taken from the enclave- a _training_ lightsaber no less. Sorran, the Bothan Jedi, impaled them on her lightsaber before decapitating them in one sweep.

"Form up on either side of the doors!" Colin ordered urgently. The strike team did as told, with the three RSF commandos forming up on either side of the submersible in sniper positions.

"And I gotta admit, these Kel Dor sure know how to buil-" One pull of the trigger, one swing of a lightsaber. Both guards hit the ground, one in two smoking halves.

"Move out!" Colin ordered, as the team moved silently but quickly down the corridor.

**53 kilometers to the southeast…**

Inconspicuous amongst the gases of the atmonsphere, a round black shiny oval dropped to the ground with only a soft bump.

For a moment, it just sat there. Then, a hairline fracture split the oval in two, and the two halves folded in on themselves until they were tucked in the underside of a combat-painted Jedi shuttle.

"Move out!" Kavar said through his oxygen-mask. His team of Jedi leaped out of the shuttle, which immeadietly powered back up and began the flight to the extraction zone.

"Scanner says the shaft should be right about here…" Kavar stopped as his foot hit metal. "Alright, let's move some metal."

A crack of light shone down into the rusty access tube of the maintenance shaft, sending the small rodent who had been gnawing on a root scampering for cover. The light flickered and turned off before a body hit the bottom of the shaft with a loud _bong_.

"Could you stomp just a little louder?" Kavar asked as he climbed down "I think the Sith didn't hear that one precisely."

"Geez," grumbled Ramon, flipping down his low-light visor. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Team, move out!" Kavar said once everyone was in the tunnel. Swiftly and quietly, they made their way down the long passageway.

**Sub-level communications room**

"There, we should be able to contact the other teams without the Sith knowing that we're here." Mion said as he finished slicing into the network.

"Hold on, I'm getting a signal from Epsilon to everyone…" Sorran said as she turned on her comlink. The others turned on their own comlinks and listened to the chilling message.

"_Master Ka-…breached the en-…ountering resistance…us, and four in…_what the!_-…static…_"

"Epsilon leader? Epsilon leader!" Colin roared into his comlink. He turned to Mion "Comm him again!" Mion nodded and typed furiously into the console before grabbing his head in frustration.

"His signal's been cut off. Looks like some sort of jamming-" Mion stopped and turned around. The smell of scorched flesh filled the air. Bolta gazed at the rest of his team, who just stared at the red lightsaber blade sticking out of his neck. Bolta made a few gurgling noises and fell to the floor.

"Form a circle!" Colin ordered frantically, just as another Jedi, a Bith, fell to the lightsaber of a dark-clothed Sith, who then shimmered out of existence as his stealth field generator kicked in.

"I think I see one-" Race stopped mid-sentence before he let out a bloodcurdling scream. The Sith who had just chopped halfway through his sword arm lay in two smoking halves, with Race's lightsaber lying a few feet away from him.

"Commandos! Protect Race!" Colin barked. The three commandos, trained in fighting all types of opponents, flipped down their heat-sensing visors and set their rifles to repeating before unleashing a hail of pulse bursts into the seven cloaked Sith. Five hit the ground, but two dodged the streams of fire and took out several more squad members before they were finally brought down by Sorran and Colin, thanks to the fact that their stealth field generators had been taken out by the commandos' blasting.

Colin sighed mournfully as he took a head count of his team. Out of the twenty Jedi and three RSF commandos, six Jedi lay dead on the ground, Race was huddled against the wall along with another Jedi whose right cheek had had its skin seared off, being tended to by the team's medic, the Mon Calamari Jedi Healer Mrales, and one commando lay next to Race, his back flayed open by the Siths' lightsabers.

"Alright…" Colin grumbled, thinking intensely "Team, change of plans. Jax and Moodel, help Mrales get these three onto hover-stretchers." While the two Jedi began unpacking and assembling the stretchers, Colin continued explaining his plan. "We're going to advance up the tunnel with Jax and Moodel protecting Mrales and the hover-strechers. You guys will be taking the Plan B extraction route, through the secrete turbolift to the secondary extraction spot. You should be out of the jamming field by then, so contact the _Heart of Kel Dor_ and tell them to begin landing the RSF legion we brought with us from Coruscant, as well as the Sith-hunter droids. We'll continue the recon mission until reinforcements arrive."

With their presence known, the Jedi strike team wasted no time in assembling several makeshift detonators from the engine core of the submersible. Their first and only test was when the door to the sensor grid control room smashed into the two armored guards standing by the door and the large 6-centimeter bolts that sealed the door should a breach occur impaled the majority of the other guards. Before the smoke had even cleared, the sound of lightsabers activating with a _snap-hiss_ and rifles cocking reached the ears of the remaining troopers and the slicers hacking into the network before the remaining Jedi and commandos poured out and hacked them to pieces.

The Sith may have just been stunned into unconsciousness, had it not been for the fact that Sorran had discovered the bodies of two students who were going with their instructor for a lesson in the submersible along with their instructor, the entire sub bay crew, and two of the visiting Baron Do Sages stuffed into a maintenance closet, a single thrust with a lightsaber through each of their chests.

"This…" Colin said through gritted teeth as he bashed a semi-conscious Sith's head against a wall.

"…is…" Mion continued, blasting a hole through anther Sith's right hand.

"…for…" Sorran threw another Sith into a technician who was cowering behind a console stand.

"…the…" Colin and Sorran threw a Sith into one of the glass display screens.

"..yo-YOUNGLINGS!" The excited scream of Phanir Metoren stopped everyone in their tracks. Emboldened by the sounds of fighting, the two younglings and three Jedi Knights hiding in a locked side corridor had wandered out to find the Sith squad that had been trying to slice the door open lying on the floor, either dead or being held at gunpoint.

"Team, hold it!" Colin ordered. The others halted their assaults, one of the commandos with his arm raised, a vibro-knife held tight in its grip, ready to begin disemboweling the Sith who was cowering before him.

One by one, the remaining Sith were secured with shock-cuffs and made to stand in a line against the wall. Colin paced in front of them. "You." He said, pointing to what appeared to be the squad leader "Your name and rank please. Oh, and also the exact compliment of the Sith forces stationed here and how many prisoners they have."

The Sith spat at him. Colin paused and pulled out a handkerchief before wiping the spittle off of his face. "I repeat…your name and rank please." The Sith just smiled. Sorran's patience blew over and she shoved Colin out of the way before hoisting the commander by his shirt, holding him suspended in the air, armored boots flailing wildly.

"Did you know" Sorran growled "That Bothans can be very impatient when they're hungry…and you're looking a lot like red meat."

The Sith visibly gulped, despite the pressure on his neck, and signaled for Sorran to put him down. She did…in a way. As the Sith lay dazed on the floor, rubbing his neck, Colin stood over him and looked down on the man. "Alright…talk."

"M-my name is…Captain Rac…Dem…" The Sith gasped out "We have…a…battalion of Sith elite troopers a-and…_gasp_…two score Sith Adepts and assassins…" He rolled over and began puking all over the floor. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth and continued, but with difficulty.

"…there are a-also tw-two assault dropships in the main quad and we have five fighters encircling the base…but they left to investigate an explosion, I swear!" Mion walked over and injected the man with a painkiller.

"And the rest of your answer?" He asked gently, applying a cold bandage to reduce the swelling of the man's throat.

"…thank y-you…I don't know the exact amount of prisoners…but when we hit the outpost, I saw several technicians being stunned and marched down a corridor with about half a dozen Republic soldiers…" He gasped and Mion quickly adjusted the cold bandage so Captain Dem could breathe again.

"…I think…I think we killed the majority of the Jedi here…But some escaped, I know this for a fact!" Dem added, glancing fearfully at Sorran, who was tossing her lightsaber back and forth between her hands.

"Where are they being held?" Mion asked.

"I don't know exactly where…I think I overheard one of the Sith saying to put the captives in the command center…or was it the comm center? I don't know, but it's somewhere inside the command building!"

"Thanks…" Sorran said, Force-calling Mion's blaster into her hand. Before anyone could react, she shot Dem directly in the chest.

* * *

Please R & R!


	22. Chapter 22: Kavar's Demise

**READ THIS! IMPORTANT!**

For those of you who read the other chapter before I editted it, I meant to say Sorran shot Dem, not Mion.

**Also: Please be specific when you choose: Just review either Nebellish (For canon version) or Dustil (For original version)**

**And another thing: Many of you probably have read Star Wars: Legacy. Although Astraal and Shado Vao aren't related to Mission, would any of you like me to make it so (Even if it isn't canon, many fans expressed their disappointment when it was confirmed the siblings were not related to Mission.) Just say yes or no.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Sorran! WHAT THE HELL?" Colin tackled Sorran to the ground and knocked the blaster out of her hand just as she fired off two more shots.

"HE'S A MURDERER!" The Bothan roared, her teeth bared and eyes wild "THEY'RE ALL MURDERERS! THIS QUICK DEATH IS MORE THAN THEY DESERVE!"

"Calm down!" Phanir barked, bending over Dem "A: He's not dead, and B: Remember the Jedi Code…"

Sorran stopped struggling "There is no anger, there is serenity." She murmured. Phanir whistled as he pulled out his personal medkit.

"For someone who's had little or no ranged weapons training, you did some extensive damage, but nothing fatal." Phanir commented, squeezing some salve from a tube onto one of the blaster wounds. "Slight nerve damage, but you missed all the major organs." He turned his furry head curiously "That's gonna ache for weeks. Still, the doctors at Aeten Containment Center should be able to take care of it." Colin walked forward and knelt beside Captain Dem.

"Alright, listen up Captain and listen very carefully." He said calmly, showing none of the buried fury at the discovery of the numerous bodies of the young Jedi "Phanir and Mion are going to confiscate any sort of weapons, communications devices, utility packs, etc. from you. Then you and your squad are going to go with Phanir and Mion to the extraction point, and you will make no noises or give away their position, because A: They will kill anyone who does and B: The Sith who find you won't be carrying any sort of sniping weapon and won't care about who gets hit."

"I understand." Dem said. His mind was racing. Had the Jedi just prevented one of their own from killing him, and were they really going to let him and his squad live? He shook his head in amazement. The Jedi were not at all like the ones who had participated in the Battle of Serroco, not at all like the ones who were responsible for destroying the Mandalorian cruiser that had his parents and baby sister captive onboard along with hundreds of other prisoners.

"Good, now Phanir…" Phanir nodded and began collecting the soldiers' comlinks, melee weapons, etc.

Once the prisoners had left with Phanir and Mion, Colin took stock of his team's numbers. There were seven Jedi left, including himself and the lone commando, Lieutenant Reed Denker.

"Denker, what are our odds of holding our position down here?" Colin asked, moving to the corner of the room.

"I don't know…but they aren't that good." Denker said, scratching his sweaty brow "It would be better if we had Kavar's team with us."

"Good idea." Without warning, Colin's lightsaber sprang to life and he chopped through the cloaked Sith assassin who had been standing right behind Sorran, who hadn't noticed the ripple of the air behind her.

"More assassins." Colin grumbled, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt "Let's go. Comm Kavar, tell him to scratch his plan and to meet us down here as soon as he can."

_**Devoltar**_** Bridge,**

**In Orbit of Ziost**

"So, what exactly are we doing here?"

Revan was silent for a moment as he stared down at the cloud-covered surface of the ancient homeworld of the Sith species. Its blue-green surface masked the evil that choked the planet, twisting the vegetation, the environment, the animals, the people…

"We're here for answers." Revan said calmly "Prep a couple of bombers. We'll be going down within the hour." With a whirl of his dark blue cloak, Revan strode back into the corridor in the direction of the _Ebon Hawk_ to change into his gear.

"You do know…" Phiran grumbled, issuing the order to move two bombers into the forward launch bay "…this is MY ship, and one shouldn't be taking orders from someone else on their ship. Don't see how visiting the graves of dead Sith beats shoving baradium missiles down the throats of live ones…not a bad idea." He turned to one of his lieutenants "Make a note of that for the next time we engage the Sith."

* * *

Two C-shaped objects flew silently over the surface of Ziost. Up close, the forests looked menacing, with dark underbrush now visible beneath the camouflage that was the canopy.

Here, the dense forest was only broken by small areas, where crumbling temples and cities lay rotten and desolate. The last remnants of an extinct race. Or where they?

"Do you think it's possible that some of the half-breed Sith survived with the Sith Emperor?" Revan said to Phiran who was piloting their bomber.

"Possible? I've fought against some. Pretty nasty too. Very flexible and they've got Force abilities I've never even heard of. Still, a Maelstrom attack doesn't beat Phasing."

"What's phasing?" Revan asked curiously "I've only ever heard of it in the most ancient archives and they just list it as a rare ability."

"Phasing kind of falls under the same category as Force absorb and such." Phiran said, signaling the other bomber to a temple a few hundred kilometers ahead "The technique involves a Jedi giving himself over to the Force. He uses the Force to allow his body to pass through matter. This technique is very difficult and dangerous though, for should the Jedi's concentration waver, he or she may find themselves with a leg or possibly their entire torso inside a wall. The matter of both objects fuse in that example."

"Does this technique work against blasterfire?" Revan asked.

"Theoretically, yes…but the thing with blasterfire, you have to keep track of each bolt individually, and the heat is still there, which can cause your focus to waver. Plus, each bolt has the tiniest amount of radiation, and that doesn't pass through your body…well, it does, but it doesn't not do any damage. The same with a bomb. It's almost impossible to dodge the millions of bits of shrapnel."

"_Sir_," The pilot of the other bomber, a young Zabrak Jedi Sentinel with blond hair who went by the nickname "Streak" said "_My scanner's picking up something just outside the temple. It's large, and scans show titanium and durasteel alloy._"

"Think it's a nek nest?" Phiran suggested.

"_Wait…definitely not. I'm getting a rough shape. It appears to be the wreck of one of those ancient Sith battlecruisers…that can't be right._"

"What is it?" Revan asked curiously.

"_I'm picking up energy signatures in the upper levels of the ship, and some sort of beacon in the lower levels_."

"Are the turrets online?" Phiran asked, a sense of foreboding starting to creep over him.

"_Not picking up any signals, but they could be shielded by stygium-Evasive maneuvers!_" Streak's com was abruptly cut off as his bomber exploded into flames. Revan could see Streak and his companion eject and collide with a tree branch before disappearing from sight.

The air around the bomber erupted in a volcano of flack. Phiran cursed as a bolt hit the main fuselage, sending sparks and smoke trailing from behind the vessel. "I've lost control!" Phiran roared, struggling to keep the ship level as it sped toward the canopy. Revan shut his eyes and-

**Dorin Republic outpost**

"Hey, what are you doi-?" The Sith guarding the door to the command bunker found himself flying across the room. Kavar ran in after him, throwing his blue shoto at anther guard while crossing blades with a Sith adept.

Colin and his remaining strike team members mixed with Kavar's squad, striking down the Sith guarding the score of technicians, soldiers, maintenance crewmembers, and Jedi lying bruised and beaten in the center of the room.

"You'd think they would have put up more of a resistance." Colin chuckled. He kicked the body of a Sith technician out of the way and began typing into an access console. Kavar strode over.

"Anything?" He asked curiously. Colin shook his head.

"The Sith got pretty deep into the outpost's database, but they couldn't crack the archives of the enclave. They're safe. Hold on, the Sith planted something in the command scripts. I can find it, but…ripple, right behind you!" Kavar whirled around and brought his fist into the chin of the assassin behind him, knocking the man unconscious.

Thinking quick, Colin flooded the room with a diluted form of tarenoxyn, a gas that was known to disrupt the usual flow of electricity, an example being in the machines used to mine it in its natural solid state.

Sorran growled and backed against a wall. With the gas now filling the room, the others could now see the fifty-one ripples standing in the room, some right next to squad members. With their cover blown, several of the assassins struck down the Jedi and commandos they had been shadowing.

"Oh shit!" Colin cursed. In the midst of all this chaos, he had been furiously typing into the console. Now, a big countdown filled the screen, the numbers right at six minutes…

"This place is gonna blow!" Colin roared, leaping out of the chair and cleaving through a Sith who had been grappling with a senior commando.

"What?" Sorran and Kavar both roared over the noise of battle.

"The Sith planted explosives all over the place! There's no way to reach them all in time. We've got six- no, _oh sithspit_! The timer was programmed to half itself if someone tried to access it. We've got three minutes to get out of here!"

"Everyone out!" Kavar ordered "Commandos, take the hostages!"

The Sith had their own way out. One of the dropships appeared outside the window and blasted several holes in the outer wall, before opening a hatch through which the Sith escaped…along with seven of the prisoners.

"Move it people! Now would be a good time!" Just as they rounded a corner, Colin found himself face-to-face with a squad of elite combat droids wielding force pikes and lightsabers, as well as six Sith Acolytes clad in phrik armor.

"Going somewhere, Jedi?" The lead Sith snarled, his masked face hiding any emotions he might have.

"No, but neither are you." Kavar Force-hurled his shoto at the Sith, who deflected it off of his gauntlet and brought his own lightsaber against Kavar's main blade. But Kavar's intention had not been to hit the Sith. Instead, it destroyed the panel for the door behind the Sith squad, cutting them off from their escape vessel.

"Run! Get out of here!" Kavar roared, spittle flying from his mouth as he used the Force to telekinetically shut the blast door behind him, sealing both him and the Sith inside.

"NO!" Colin roared in pain and despair, but Denker pulled him toward the corridor, where the others had already made it halfway through.

"We've got to go sir!" Denker yelled, dragging Colin down the dimly-lit hallway. At the end, he could see a little spot of light, and the boarding ramp of a shuttle.

"_Sir, this place is gonna blow soon!_" the pilot said to Colin through his headset "_The explosives are already starting to go off. I can't stay here much longer_."

"Order the other shuttles to take off!" Colin ordered "Once you have a visual on us, start your pre-flight sequences and keep your boarding ramp lowered. Blast a hole large enough for your shuttle to fit through into the wall that lines up with the cliff face! We're going to try a Number 7."

Denker whistled. A Number 7 was leaping off a cliff face into a moving vehicle that was moving away from the cliff face. If you timed your jump wrong, you could hit the vehicle wrong and bounce off it, or miss the speeder completely and fall to your death.

They emerged from the corridor mostly unscathed. The various explosives were already going off. "Arrgghhh!" Colin screamed in pain as a pile of ammunition crates fell on his left leg, crushing it.

"Oh no…" Denker whirled around and ran to grab Colin. The shuttle had just cleared the wall, and Sorran, realizing that Colin was in trouble, leaped off the shuttle and ran to help Denker pull Colin out. Heaving the wounded Jedi over her shoulder, Sorran turned to Denker.

"Come on!" She said through gritted teeth as she plucked a piece of shrapnel from her palm "We have to get out of-"

"Heads up!" Denker roared, shoving the two Jedi into a clear area.

_**BOOM!**_ With a mighty rush of hot air, the building next to them went up in a fireball, igniting the ammunition crates and throwing Denker sideways, in the opposite direction of the shuttle.

"Come on!" Sorran roared, running back to help Denker up. The commando's face was cut up and his left arm hung limply at his side.

More explosions began behind the trio as they ran for the shuttle, which, even though the pilot knew it meant the possible death of all of them, had stalled at the cliff edge. "Keep moving!" Sorran roared, handing Denker Colin's limp body as she unhooked her grappling hook and line. The shuttle moved, albeit slowly, but steadily.

With a Force-aided leap, Sorran launched herself off of the cliff and shot her grappling line into a rung in the cargo hold of the shuttle before swing up onto the boarding ramp.

Realizing that there was not enough time to save the both of them, Denker wrapped his own line around Colin and tied his rifle to the other end, before hurling it to Sorran. "Denker, don't be a fool! We can save you too!" Sorran yelled, but the commando wasn't listening. With one shove, he pushed Colin off the cliff to dangle in mid-air before Sorran managed to reel him up like a fish.

When Denker saw that the shuttle wasn't leaving, he cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled with all his might, "GOOOOOOOOO!" Any further argument was finished when an explosion sent a shockwave through where Denker was standing, making him stumble and fall off the cliff to his death on the rocks far below.

Reluctantly, the shuttle pilot began maneuvering away from the explosion, but there was one problem: The command center and its citadel had been situated at the _center_ of the outpost, so the convoy of shuttles had to fly through explosions and flying debris before they could truly be safe and away.

What appeared to have once been a communications array smashed into the port wing of a shuttle, sending it careening down towards the inferno that had been a highly protected Republic outpost.

"We've lost two shuttles already!" The pilot of Colin and Sorran's shuttle yelled back at them from the cockpit. His co-pilot turned the shuttle sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding a fast-moving black object.

"Wait..." The co-pilot frowned "That wasn't debris. That looked like a…"

"We've got two bogies coming in, ventral starboard!" The navigations officer barked.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Sorran roared, running into the cockpit and sitting herself at one of the retractable turret stations.

"_Lock S-foils in attack position_!" This came from Flight Commander Sarkin, who was flying an Aurek tactical strikefighter leading Besh and Celpha Squadron, which had been assigned to protect the dropships and shuttles that were now fleeing the base, some having just arrived as part of the reinforcements.

"If we can hold out for just a few more minutes, we can reach the _Heart of Kel Dor_ and safety!" Colin suggested to the other ships "Fighters, protect the transports until we're within range of the _Heart of Kel Dor_'s turbolasers. They should provide enough cover and give you enough time to dock in your berths before we jump to lightspeed."

* * *

Originally, two shuttles had been scheduled to be on standby in case the recon teams ran into trouble. When it became clear that there were survivors and that they would have to fight their way out of there, five shuttles were sent down, firstly because there were more people to pick up, and secondly because the less people on a shuttle, the faster it could get out of the atmosphere.

They had been joined by the two squads of fighter and the six dropships that had been sent down as reinforcements. Now, out of the forty-odd fighters and eleven transport vessels, three shuttles, two dropships, and twenty-two fighters remained as the convoy streaked through the exosphere..

"Convoy, we have a visual on you…" The captain of the _Heart of Kel Dor_ reported "Stand by for turbolaser cov-"

Stars reverted to realspace as two Mandalorian Wars-era Republic Star Destroyers, not unlike the newer models that Revan and Malak had used, appeared just off the port bow of the _Hart of Kel Dor_. Without warning, they launched streams of fighters and bombers and began bombarding the _Hammerhead_-class cruiser.

"_Ta-…ire…syste-…own…shie…ave fai-….urrets number 1 and…-ffline…targeting our engi-_" The voice of the captain was abruptly cut off as a wing of Sith fighters lobbed a series of proton missiles into the neck connecting the hammerhead-shaped bridge to the rest of the ship. The vessel broke in two, debris and bodies spilling out like the innards of a gutted beast.

The Sith forces renewed their attacks, and with several earth-shaking explosions, both halves of the ship erupted in orange fireballs. Then they turned their attention to the convoy…

**20 minutes later…**

"Break right Besh 6! I said break right!"

"Celpha 19 and 5 are down sir. There's just Driv, Flax, Clive, and me left…"

"_Hey_, I'm still here!"

"…and Trent. Go figure."

"My fighter may be banged up, but I can still hear very well."

"One of the shuttles just lost its starboard wing. The Sith are tractoring it in. I'm gonna try and disable that beam"

"Besh Flight, call signs! Besh Leader, still alive."

"Besh 4, still alive."

"Besh 10, still alive-Hey, I can see Celpha Leader!"

"Celpha Leader, this is Besh Leader. How many fighters do you have in total?"

"My targeting sensors and navigation array are all in a mess. My torpedo launchers are gone! There are six of Celpha Squadron left, I repeat..."

"Celpha 4 here, the shuttle's free of the beam, but I've got three missil-_**YEAARRGHHHH!**_..."

"…make that five."

"Besh 6…got one on my tail!"

"Another dropship just blew Sir!"

"Besh 15 reporting in. I see your trailing friend Besh 6! Besh 12, break off your attack run and help babysit 6."

"Oy!"

"Cut the chatter Besh 6! This is Besh 8 reporting in. Besh 9 and 13 are down, I repeat, Besh 9 and 13 are down."

"That's in all…13 fighters left."

"No one's responded to our distress call Commander Colin, and it's been six hours!"

One of Besh 6's cannon emplacements was blasted off of her wing, and now she was left with one cannon and two torpedo launchers with nearly-empty magazines.

"All fighters, form up on the frontal Sith cruiser. Shuttles and dropships, let loose with whatever you have. If we're going down, then we're not gonna go without a fight."

"Sir…" Without warning, the space behind the two Sith cruisers warped, and five smaller Sith corvettes emerged from hyperspace…but they were not alone.

The armada was under continuous attack from three very distinct-looking assault ships. Each of the vessels looked like a large roundish-object with a short wedge sticking out of the bottom end. The _Jehavey'ir_ type assault ships were the terror of the Republic fleet during the Mandalorian Wars, and the Sith knew this.

"Republic convoy, this is Field Marshall Kelborn of the Neo-Crusader fleet, representing Mandalore the Preserver. We've responded to your distress signal and are prepared to offer any assistance."

Colin ran to the communications station and depressed the comlink button. "Commander, thank goodness. This is Jedi Knight Colin Cel-Drem of the Jedi Order, one of the last survivors of the Dorin enclave investigations team. We're being torn to shreds out here. Any chance you can get these Sith off our tail?"

The answer came in what appeared to be a swarm of bugs swarming from each of the vessels. As they drew closer, it became obvious that they were Basilisk war droids and _Shaadlar_-type troopships, the latter spewing hundreds of jetpack-mounted Mandalorian warriors.

The Sith armada, unlike the Mandalorian task force, did not have vacuum suit-equipped Sith acolytes at the ready, and by the time the Sith had left the airlock, the Mandos were already latching onto the hulls and smashing their armored fists into windows, hull platings, and turret systems.

But even the Mandos could not compare with the Sith warrriors. While their _beskar_ armor prevented a swift decapitation or loss of limbs, the Sith used their mastery of the Force to choke, spray each Mando with lightning, or to hurl them into the path of one of their own incoming turbolaser bolts or missiles.

"Republic convoy, you have a clear trajectory for your hyperspace jump. Go, go, go!" Kelborn roared, grabbing a chair as his ship rocked. The remainder of the convoy shot forward. Their engines glowed bright orange, and they disappeared into hyperspace. "And tell Revan, he owes the boss one!"

* * *

Next chapter, we're going back to Revan.

Will be released right after Christmas!

**Title**: Old friends

**Teaser**: Revan has joined up with the Torrent, a resistance group fighting against the Sith Empire. After arriving at Ziost, Revan, and a group of Torrent members, including Phiran Bindo, cousin of the late Jolee Bindo, are shot down by an unknown attacker. Phiran and the others have been taken captive by a group of Sith stationed on Ziost. Revan, Opila, 3C, and T3 infiltrate the facility to rescue them. But when they shut down the power grid, they release the hundreds of dangerous beasts locked up within the facility. With time running out, can the four find their friends before the experiments do?


	23. Chapter 23: Old Friends

And here it is!

**Happy Holidays!**

* * *

Somewhere on the surface of Ziost

**0700 Hours**

Sparks hissed and popped around Revan, who managed to peep open on eye before the pain hit him and he blacked out again. When he came to, he realized that there was a pressure on his left sinus, the side which rested on the control board of his seat. Moving his head slightly, Revan felt small beads of glass crumple against the metal before he stopped. There were voices nearby.

"…this one's alive…"

"…some sort of combat droid in…of the bomber…we take it?"

"…yeah, leave the other droid…"

Revan tensed just the slightest as he heard and felt through the Force a pair of feet tread carefully through the rubble until they stopped right next to him.

"This one appears to be dead. Should we take him?"

"Nah, leave the corpse for the neks. Ok, so that's a combat droid, three survivors, and some-OH! Well, ya lookee here! That's a bottle of pre-war Tarisian spice-rum! Keep that hidden from the boss. Drinks on me tonight fellas!" There was cheering, and the footsteps receded into the distance.

* * *

Revan didn't know how long he had been lying there, or how he had managed to crawl out of the fighter and make camp, but the next thing he knew, he was lying against a tree with a rough blanket tucked securely over his body and someone or something was spooning a hot spicy liquid into his mouth.

Revan coughed and the liquid dribbled down his chin before a cold artificial hand wiped it away with a cloth. [You feel better?] Opila's face was the most beautiful thing that Revan had ever seen.

[T3-M4 pulled my security-container from its hidden compartment after the salvage crew left.] Opila explained to Revan as he inserted a syringe under Revan's shoulder-blade. [They believed you to be dead.]

"W-who…did they take with them?" Revan said with a wince as Opila withdrew the syringe and then inserted it into Revan's right upper arm.

[They took Phiran and the others, as well as HK. They took they could salvage from the bombers, but there wasn't much left that they could take in the short amount of time that they believed they had.]

"What?" Revan said with surprise "What do you mean?"

[There are beasts on this planets…I believe their designated name is 'nek'. Apparently, they are what remains of a Sith experiment long ago.] Opila said. [A small pack attempted to take you as a meal, but I calmed them down and sent them away. Their language is amazing…that is if you find grunts and snorts interesting. But the alpha male, whom I befriended, told me that his pack had encountered the…'no-face' before, and that they carried branches that glowed and could kill, as well as strange roots that shot burning fire. They stalked the party which took Phiran and the others, and they saw them enter their 'big den', which I believe to be a spaceship, specifically, the wreck that our scans show to be near the temple we were approaching.]

"Great." Revan said, shrugging off the blanket and standing up…before sitting back down and rubbing his aching head "The Sith set up some sort of base here. They saw us, shot us down, and took the survivors as prisoners or slaves of some sort. Let's go and rescue them."

A strange half-metal, half-laugh came from Opila's voice-synthesizer. [Really…you and what army? From the neks' reaction to the Sith, I believe that the garrison here is a large force, and that they are in at least infrequent communication with Dromund Kaas. Plus, we have no heavy vehicles to speak of…]

"T3, how much damage did the bombers sustain in the crash?" Revan asked, cutting Opila off.

T3 hesitated, before extending his holoprojector and beginning to show the statistics and percent of damage.

"The fire was put out very quickly by the salvagers, and it looks like the armor took the brunt of the crash." Revan mused "T3, did 3C-FD survive the crash?"

T3 nodded his head, but explained that the reason the Sith didn't find him was because his transport container had been thrown deep into the wreck.

"Fine. T3, I want you to begin extracting what components you can from both fighters. Opila, does that droid body contain a database of the bomber's make and schematics."

[Do I look like an archive droid?] Opila muttered indignantly [But yes…yes it does. Why?]

"Use one of my lightsabers and try to see if you can remove the cannon and launcher emplacements on each of the bombers, as well as any power packs and…oh, just give me a painkiller and I'll help!"

* * *

**3 hours later…**

Revan wiped his sweaty forehead and readjusted the bandage there. T3 had managed to remove enough rubble for Revan and Opila to lift out 3C, who was now helping T3 remove the two leather-lined seats from the first bomber to join the other seats of the second bomber, which were sitting by the small tent that Opila had set up for Revan by their camp.

They had only managed to recover two of the heavy cannons from the first bomber, and one from the second, due to the Sith salvaging the rest, and only one working launcher. Ammunition for the launcher was a problem, because Phiran and the other pilot had jettisoned most of it before the crash so that it didn't explode on impact. Opila was currently dragging what packs of ammunition that he could find back to camp.

The two blackened hulls of the bombers lay side-by-side in front of Revan. "Plasma torch please…" Revan said to T3, who handed him the object and a welding mask.

Carefully, Revan cut along the sides of each bomber, removing plating and cutting holes for wiring and such. Then, he switched the torch to its welding function and welded the two hulls together, now making them resemble an archaic form of a two-pod speeder.

Revan cut notches in the bottom, and inserted the repulserlift generator that he had fashioned out of the anti-grav power core and hover projectors from the landing/take-off gear.

Now, Opila placed one end of a cable, the power box that is, inside one of the holes that Revan had cut into the side, and inserted it into the power generator before placing the object attached to the other end of the cable on top of one side of the vehicle. The cannon shone a bright copper after T3 and 3C had scraped off the rust and grime. Opila then proceeded to attach another cannon to the side of the left side of the vehicle.

Next, Revan placed the two seats inside the hull, as well as the navigation and steering yoke. Behind them, he inserted two durasteel impact rigs that he had modified to become seats. From one of the two remaining seats lying on the ground, he fashioned a handle and grip and with the rest, two rigs to hold 3C and T3.

Taking the last cannon, he cut away at the barrel end, reducing it before slicing off sections of the cut off piece, forming a sight, in which he placed shards of red targeting glass. Next, he attached the sight to the cannon before welding the cannon onto the handle and grip he had made, forming a heavy-duty rifle.

The final part was the trickiest. Revan scoured over the vessel, sealing any openings and covering the wires in spare armor, before welding a canopy to the top. Miraculously, there was just enough transparisteel in the storage compartments and from the remains of the cockpits to fashion a cockpit, which Revan sealed into a single sheet of transparisteel with the Force.

Gulping down water, Revan looked at his finished work. He was now sitting in front of a passable hand-made four-man fighter with enough space to store Opila and HK, as well as T3 and 3C.

[I have to admit…I'm impressed.] Opila said with a whistle [Now all we have to do is get close to the Sith base.] Revan made to hand Opila _Heart of the Guardian_, but Opila kindly refused and popped open two compartments on his torso. Two lightsabers sprang into his hand, both a gleaming yellow. Taking the makeshift rifle in his hand, Opila looked, for all the world, like some freakish assassin droid from someone's nightmares who could have killed Jedi, because why would a droid be carrying a lightsaber? Of course, no one had met a Shard.

* * *

**Outskirts of the wrecked Sith heavy frigate, **_**Red Dawn**_

"Please tell me that those aren't what I think they are…" Revan groaned as he and Opila lay on a branch scouting the perimeter of the Sith base. His electrobinoculars were aimed at a small fenced-off area inside the perimeter, and the creatures roaming around inside of it.

[What are 'they'?] Opila asked curiously, zooming in on Revan's target [Hmm…I have never seen…oh, I believe those are in the ancient Sith database. Those are creatures created by the Sith magic of one Karness Muur, a Sith Lord who supposedly had a talisman from which he drew his powers-]

"…and he used it to escape death." Revan finished. When Opila looked at him curiously, Revan just shrugged "Long story. Won't bother you with the details, but it involves a covert Jedi covenant, a murder of Jedi by Jedi, a renegade Padawan, and a currently-locked-in-stasis-Jedi-Shadow-who-I'm-told-has-the-Muur-Talisman-around-her-neck-and-those-creatures-are-called-rakghouls-because-if-you-remember-from-my-story-they-live-…_lived_-on-Taris."

* * *

The solitary guard standing by the recently-erected durasteel siege-suited permacrete perimeter wall was nervous. He had recently been transferred here after the accident, and he knew it was a punishment. It was still so unfair though. How was he supposed to know that he would throw Smithers through five room when he had shoved his fellow soldier against the wall. All he had done was _shove_ him. Next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a board of higher officers, who made mention of his "exceptional performance during the Marit Campaign" and his "unique ability with a blaster". _Please_…They were just buttering him up, and duped him into coming here…

Something small and hard hit his head. Turning around, the guard picked up the object and wiped the dirt off it. What the heck was a credit chip doing here?

"A credit for your thoughts." These words were followed by an unseen force, which hit the guard and flung him against the gates. The guard immediately leaped back up, and drew his two short combat knives from his bandoleer. "What's your name?" The figure standing in the shadows asked.

"You know…" The guard snorted to his attacker "It's usually polite to introduce yourself to your opponent before you…" The figure walked out of the shadows. He wore a black cloak which covered his entire body, save for his head, which the hood only partially covered. His face was covered by a black-and-red mask. At his side hung two lightsabers.

"And that's Inspector Trask Ulgo to you!" The man snapped, raising his hand, silently threatening the guard with a slow death by choking "Now, I'll repeat myself, and then parts are going to fly if I say it a third time. Your name?"

"Uh…Lieutenant Market Flint, sir!" Flint bellowed out, snapping to attention and saluting Inspector Ulgo.

"At ease soldier!" Ulgo snapped "Things are going to change around here, the Council made sure of that!"

"Th-the Council sent you?" Flint visibly gulped and did a three-second search of himself to make sure his uniform and weapons were in order. "I-I thought Darth Lyrucan was in charge of this sector. I'll have to bring it up with hi-"

"Have fun talking to a dead corpse." Ulgo said, his cloak tickling Flint's nose as he strode forward "Well, are you going to open the gates or not!"

"Y-yes sir!" Flint practically ran to the retina-scan, showing his eyes before the scanner before running back to escort the inspector inside the perimeter "You'll be seeing the prisoners first, correct?"

"Yes, take me to them." Ulgo said "Oh, and just for the record…" His lightsaber flashed to life and cut through another guard "…I don't care or hold any regard for your life or the lives of everyone else in this installation."

* * *

_"…I don't care about your life or the lives of anyone else on this ship!" His female comm officer gasped one last time before she collapsed to the ground, dead._

_"Clean this mess up sergeant!" Revan snapped, walking indifferently past Malak. HK shrugged and trudged after his master._

_[Statement: Master, there is talk amongst the crew that you are a…difficult one to lead them.]_

_"Well…_eradicate_ any distrust that the crew may have…interpreted in your own way." Revan snapped, striding into his meditation chamber "Send Darth Voren to me. We have much to discuss…"_

[What is taking you so long?] Opila asked impatiently. The three droids, well, two droids and one Shard, had hung out long enough to get scans of Flint's eyes, and T3 was standing in

* * *

front of the retina-scan of a side door, flipping through different projections of the hologram he had of Flint's eyes so as to get through the door.

[Retina identified. Access to door 26-A permitted. Be advised that there are active pens in the area, so take the guard corridor on the south section.]

[Time for Phase II of the operation.] Opila muttered, deactivating his inflection projector that was hooked up with his voice synthesizer and pulling the makeshift rifle, which was now painted black, from the newly-made speeder, before putting 3C and T3 inside their rigs and adding some wiring and such to his own frame before putting the rig on. Now, Opila looked all the world like some demonic bounty hunter assassin droid that one would use as a guard for "_unsavory dealings_". T3 and 3C looked like his demonic smaller counterparts.

The guard on duty shuddered as the droid walked in. "You must be the new 'associate' that Doctor Mercin asked for." The other guard said, glaring at his fearful companion "Right this way please." The assassin droid looked at him.

[Male, human. Age 34. Incapacitation areas include chest, lower back, head. Most efficient method of elimination: Snapping the vertebrae of the neck. I will find my own way, have a nice day.] The other guard fell back and shuddered before turning to his companion.

"What are these inventors thinking when they build these new models?"

"This is unacceptable." Revan growled, glancing at the mess hall. Truthfully, it was better than most Republic barracks he had seen in his lifetime (And in Revan's opinion, that was one too many), but he had to play the tough boss.

"Look at these weapons." Revan picked up a rifle which had been placed lopsided into its slot "They aren't organized by type or any sort of system that I can think of. And the quick-to-draw ones should be the ones closest to the bunks, in case of a security breach."

"Come on!" One of the fresh recruits grumbled "Listen old man, what's the chance that there's gonna be a security breach this far out?"

"Normally, 0%. But right now, I'd say about a 100%." The soldier had a second to register surprise before Revan's lightsabers were in hand and two bars of red plasma cut through his chest.

"Hey!" Revan whirled around and hurled one of the lightsabers into a lieutenant before blasting three troopers who were attempting to reach the alarm button with Force lightning, sending them falling to the ground, writhing and convulsing as the lightning wrapped around their bodies.

Revan Force-called a stun rifle into his hand and let loose with it, until every trooper in the room lay unconscious on the floor. Throwing it aside, he walked out the door.

"The detention block next sir?" His guide, Flint, asked. Thank god for the sound-proof walls of the installation.

"Yes please." Revan said politely, his cape whirling around his body as he and Flint walked past the other barrack doors. Flint never noticed the slight tinge of red staining the small windows of some, nor would he have looked closely through the opaque windows, which if he had, he might had seen the corpses and tied-up bodies of almost all of the installation's garrison.

"You can't be in-" The two guards on duty in the observation cham

* * *

ber above "surgery" fell one after the other, as Opila tore through them with mag-pelts.

[Last stop: Everyone off.] He said to the two droids on his back. 3C hopped off and rolled over to a terminal and plugged in, downloading as much as he could from the base's databanks.

T3 rolled over to the window. Suddenly, he let out a shrill shriek and bashed into Opila in his attempt to leave through the door. [What is it-Oh for mother of god!] Opila reactivated his inflection projector and "breathed" a sigh of relief as his voice was no longer in a continuous monotone stream.

T3 let out a quick series of groans and beeps before extending a claw arm and dragging Opila to the window. 3C activated the volume of the chamber below.

"_Now_, I'm going to ask _one more time_, and then I'm going to get mad: _What is your connection with the Torrent?_"

This was followed by loud screams and the sound of a robotic arm moving. Cautiously, Opila moved to the window and looked down. Below was a torture rack with a young man wearing the remains of a flight suit, the top half having been cut off, strapped into it with two robotic arms lowered next to him, one with a vicious multi-tool one would use for delicate surgeries and the other with a syringe needle. The young man was cut and bruised, with deep gashes on his chest. Their half-healed state suggested that he had been there for at least a week.

"_I_…_don't_…_know_…_anything_…and if…I….did…the last person…I…would…t-tell…would be…the bastard…offs-spring…of…a…Sith…_whore_!" Dustil Onasi growled, before spitting into the mask of his interrogator.

The Sith paused and wiped the saliva off before blasting Dustil with a round of Force lightning. The tendrils arced through his body, illuminating the skeleton beneath. Dustil was silent before letting out a long drawn-out blood-curdling scream, momentarily overloading the audio receptors of the observation lounge.

[Shoot…] Opila hissed and ran over to a terminal [What to do, what to do-Oh, _that's_ a good one. Let's see how you work in the dark Sith.] Switching power from conduits and sending all of it into the primary and secondary power feed for the security grid and lights, Opila succeeded in simultaneously taking out the security cams, laser grids, electric fences, heat-tracking security systems, and lights. But what he didn't know, was that when he took out the electric fences and laser grids, he had taken out the electric fences and laser grids…including those of the experiment pens and gates.

**[Warning: Experiment containment system experiencing systems failure. Sector 54-A through 32-B will be sealed off and quarantined until containment system is back online. All personnel will have exactly 150 seconds to evacuate breached areas.]**

* * *

Flint groaned as he was slapped awake by a gauntlet-covered hand. The face of Inspector Trask Ulgo floated into view, and Flint realized that _he_ was the one slapping Flint awake while also realizing at the same time that he was in stun-cuffs. He was in what appeared to be a security center, and the personnel that had been working in the room were tied up and unconscious next to him.

"Alright Sith. If you haven't figured out by now, which means you're an idiot, I'm not a Sith. This area's been sealed off due to some sort of containment breach, and I'm guessing whatever was locked up is on the loose here. Now, what exactly was locked up in here and is there any way to get to the un-locked down area of the base?"

Flint registered shock for a moment before switching to loathing and defiance. "Why would I tell you?"

"Well," Revan said, walking to the door and peering out of the window "I'm betting you wouldn't want to tell it to that rakghoul clawing at the door. The pulse shield is up, but if I shut it down…" He flipped a switch and Flint heard the audible _crack_ as the rakghoul smashed its fist into the transparisteel, creating a web of hairline cracks. Revan switched the field back on and the rakghoul backed away after receiving a healthy dosage of electricity.

Flint's eyes were wide with terror as he struggled to get the stun-cuffs off, but only succeeded in shocking himself.

"Don't even try." Revan said without turning around "Now, what was locked up in here?"

"Uh…rakghouls…neks and acklays…Wookies…Torrent prisoners…some sort of zombies…the most recent ones were the Jedi crew of some freighter and-"

"Wait…time out. What do you mean "Jedi crew"? Who are they?" Revan asked.

"Uh…there was one dark-skinned human female…some cat-like humanoid-ACK!" Revan's reaction at hearing the last few words had accidently caused him to fling a mug across the room, and Flint narrowly escaped having his skull punctured.

"Sorry…continue…" Revan said, moving back to the door and raising his hand to the button threateningly.

"Alright, alright! They were unconscious, so we dumped them in prisoner sub-complex A-45. It's basically a central control room with short corridors leading out from three sides of the room to three containment centers, with cells lining the walls. They're plasma-shielded. The weapons were kept on tables in the central control room, at least that's what I heard. And…there's no clear way to the rest of the base, though you could use the airducts…"

"Thank you." Revan said "You've been a great help. I have no personal quarrel against you so here's what I'm going to do. I will seal off the room once I leave. Your companions should wake up in an hour or so, the sedative I gave them wasn't very strong. The stun-cuffs will unlock themselves five minutes after I leave, when I'll activate a delayed shutdown procedure. Don't even try blasting your way out of here; I destroyed the anti-armor attachments and rocket launchers, and I've removed the power cores from the grenades. However, I am not heartless, so you will find one functioning rifle and two functioning pistols on the mess table. I believe there should be enough food and water in the lockers here to sustain you until the Sith come wondering what happened to the base." With that, he walked out.

* * *

When the lights in the interrogation center went out, Darth Karnak knew something was up. Leaving Dustil strapped to the interrogation bed, he withdrew his double-bladed vibrosword from within his robes. He held up a hand and signaled to the trio of armored troopers standing by a console. One walked over to a shallow alcove and typed a few commands into a terminal. The wall in the alcove slid aside and a rack of heavy-duty combat droids slid out before beginning to dispense the droids with a series of _clicks_.

The troopers and the droids took up positions beside the door, out of sight from whoever was cutting through the hinges like butter with what sounded like a plasma torch and a bolt-cutter.

_Crump…crump…CLINCH! _The door shook, before suddenly, two blast doors slid into place on either side, keeping it upright while presenting the attempted intruder with another problem…at least, until the glowing tips of two lightsabers burned through the doors and began moving in concert, cutting a large rough circle into the door.

* * *

Revan gasped as he held a hand to his bleeding upper arm. Some sort of Sith zombie, like a fairly ancient reanimated corpse, had been scavenging the remains of a security officer, and when he had tried to scare the creature off, a whole pack of its friends had smashed their way out of wall panels, locked doors, ceiling plates, and floor grates, and Revan had barely escaped with his life. He would slice through one, and ten would take its place, but unless he struck them in the head, they would just get back up.

His arm burned, and despite the anti-toxin that Revan had injected himself with, the wound continued to fester and swell. Revan shuddered to think what sort of venom lay in the mouth of the creature that had bitten him. Unlike the wound Bastila had received from the deranged zombie Selkath onboard the Mandalorian dungeon ship, this wound not only rejected painkillers and most anti-toxins, but also grew and infected the surrounding area.

The world began to swim before Revan's eyes. He blinked several times, trying to see clearly, but his vision flickered and his eyes and nostrils began to drip blood. Keeping himself upright with the Force, Revan stumbled into what appeared to be a med lab. He could feel his body reacting to the venom, feel the dark side of the Force within it begin to increase its spread, just like the rakghoul plague-

"Mother of god…" Revan gasped out. He put a hand into a belt pouch and began rummaging through it before his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor. Finally, he found what he was looking for: one of Zelka Forn's last surviving serums to cure the rakghoul plague. Revan only hoped it would work with whatever was infecting him as well. Pulling off the cap with his teeth, he buried the serum shot into his leg up to the hilt, and depressed the release button. Relief spread through his body as Zelka's miraculous creation eradicated the spread of the toxin. It didn't purge his body completely, and the wound would begin to fester, but at a much slower rate, but at least it gave him time to search for a cure. If there was one thing he had learned when combating the deranged Zeltron Neo-Crusader Demagol, it was that every plague, virus, infection, etc. had an antidote.

Still, unless he found a doctor in the base…that is, one that was still alive or not a freakazoid zombie, he wouldn't last long in a fight. The infection was sapping his strength, and his vision would occasionally swing.

From what he could tell, the zombies had been reanimated by powerful Force sorcery, and that their bite transferred the power to their victims, transforming them as well. The zombies seemed to be able to wield weaponry, albeit, crude weapons like clubs and blasters, but then again, most of the weaponry had been rendered useless due to being torn from the hands of Sith troopers and torn to pieces by the other experiment monstrosities. The zombies seemed to have a high intelligence, and he could have sworn he saw a lightsaber wielding one at the end of a hallway, strangling a desperate Sith trooper who shot himself in the head rather than become one of those beasts.

* * *

**Across the base…**

With a final shower of sparks, the two lightsabers finished cutting through the door. The troopers and combat droids moved forward, hugging the adjacent walls as they advanced on the door.

As the left group moved to a section of wall, they heard a slight beeping. Across the room, the other group heard it as well. Karnak barely had time to yell "Get back!" before the world went to hell.

Both sides of the wall blew open and a great burst of fire shot into the room from each side. The Sith troopers standing nearest to the holes were incinerated, but the more durable droids were just slightly scorched. Just as the smoke began to clear, a hazy spindly four-armed figure kicked down the door, and activaded his four lightsabers, before running forward to engage the Sith. From each hole, a small astromech droid, or what appeared to be an astromech droid, leaped down and began firing at the troopers and droids.

T3 ran between the legs of a combat droid, causing the one firing at him to shoot down the combat droid. 3C let loose with a ion pulse beam, violently shutting down various droids which exploded from the strain being put on their circuits.

Opila ran forward, his lightsabers cutting through Sith troopers and combat droids like butter. Karnak snarled and brandished his double-bladed vibrosword. "No droid can match the power of the Force-" The "droid" extended a robotic arm, and Karnak found himself crashing into a tray of medical instruments on the other side of the room.

"What?-How?" He cursed "No droid can wield the Force. What are you?"

[Your worst nightmare…] With that, Opila sprung onto a table and leaped over Karnak's head, striking low and slicing off his ornate maroon cape. Karnak whirled around and brought one end of his blade down on one of Opila's but leaped back with Opil swung his other three blades at Karnak.

"What have the Jedi offered you droid? Come, join the Sith, and we can give you ten times that. To have such a unique droid, imbued with the powers of the Force…"

[Correction: One, I'm not just a droid, and two, they offered me nothing, so ten times nothing is nothing, but your poor brain can't really handle that kind of info can it?]

They traded a series of lightning fast blows, before Opila leaped across the room and magnetized his feet, sticking onto the wall. He began running up, dodging the streams of blasterfire from the Sith before back-flipping over T3 and 3C, who were assembling the makeshift launcher that Revan had made and began attaching wires and supports to both of them, allowing them, once they assembled it, to act as a metal battering ram and mobile rocket launcher/heavy repeater.

* * *

"Juhani? Juhani….wake up!"

Juhani groaned as Mekel shook her awake. She put her hand on the wall to steady herself as the world spun around her. Thalia stood at the door, a blaster pistol in her hand. Mekel had a small vibroshiv that Juhani knew didn't belong to him, which he then passed into her hand. She then saw its former owner lying gagged and bound in his duty jacket, which had been torn into strips which were now holding his feet, arms, and covering his mouth.

"They're outside the door…" Mekel cursed at Thalia's warning and ran out of the Juhani's cell into the main detention room before blasting the creatures snarling there back with a bout of Force lightning sent through the airholes of the transparisteel door.

Juhani took one look at the beasts, and she was instantly back home on Taris, a young child, with her mother and father, facing these beasts almost regularly…

"…rakghouls…"

"And you're sure that this will eradicate the virus?" Revan had rescued a captive Semakhi doctor from a group of Sith undead. The Semakhi, whose name was Se-ril Mekan, did not know the origin of the virus nor the full treatment for it, but with a sample of Revan's blood and that of an undead, he was able to create a synthetic version of the original antidote.

"Unless the wound that hampers your movements begins to heal, then you will not know whether or not you have been healed or not. Alas, five sunsets will occur before any fatal side-effects might show themselves."

"I'll just take that risk." Revan picked up a lightsaber from a fallen Sith and handed it to Se-ril. "You know how to use one of these?"

Se-ril grinned, an oddity with his spine-like teeth slanted sideways. They were lined in two separate rows, one per cheek, with an open space in the middle, making it look like someone had punched out his middle teeth.

Gripping the smooth handle in his webbed scaled hands, he pressed the activation button with one of his four fingers. The scarlet blade shot out. Whipping it around experimentally, he inscribed a neat little inscription onto a wall.

"You Semakhi have to teach me how to do that…" Revan murmured, nodding appreciably at the neatness and quickness of Se-ril's handiwork. "What does this glyph mean?"

"It's actually several glyphs." Se-ril corrected him "It is the Torrent motto; Ex Pluribus Unum."

"From many, one…" Revan murmured "But for the Sith Empire, from one came many…" Se-ril nodded his head gravely.

"Se-ril," Revan said after a moment "While you were in captivity, did you hear about any prisoners having been newly captured?"

Se-ril paused and closed his outer eyelids, thinking "Yes, I overheard some of the guards talking about an encounter with an unknown cruiser. It ran into one of the Sith fleets and the crew was taken here for interrogation."

"Do you know how I can get to them?" Revan said.

Se-ril walked over to a terminal and began typing. "Looks like they're being held at the other end of the compound, by the interrogation center. From the looks of what I can see through the thermal imagers that haven't been destroyed, most of the passageways are crawling with rakghouls and other experiments."

"Can you access door control?" Revan asked, a plan forming in his head.

"Let me see…not all of them, but I have control of a fair amount from here to their cells." Se-ril said.

"Find the areas with the least amount of experiments. Seal what doors you can off from the other corridors. I can slice some of the laser doors and activate them once we're underway, but…" He looked at Se-ril and the belt he wore around his waist. "How many of those vials do you have?"

"Only enough for three full injections." Se-ril sighed, nodding his head sadly.

"Well then, try not to get bitten." Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He turned back to the console and began typing in a message.

"What are you doing?" Se-ril asked.

"Calling in a favor…from an old employee…"

* * *

**Detention Center**

The launcher lay on the ground, split in two and empty. T3 and 3C hid behind torn up floor plates, firing occasional shots at the Sith, whose armor absorbed the micro-blasts. One of the Sith had managed to set up a sniping position unnoticed by Opila, who was severely beating back Karnak. When Opila knocked Karnak down, he fired.

Opila's tri-carbon chest armor took the brunt of the corrosive ion bolt, but the bolt momentarily immobilized before he brought a lightsaber down on Karnak's arm. This gave the Sith the opportunity to roll out of the way and leap back up.

Opila had the advantage in that his blades were more deadly and he wielded four, but Karnak's vibrosword was aerodynamic, swift, and sharp at the edge, for he had already sliced through the control servos of one of Opila's arms, forcing him to adopt a more defensive style to protect the limp appendage.

"Come on Jedi," Karnak panted "Giving up on me already?"

[On the contrary…] Opila activated the repulsorlift generators on his lower abdomen, and grasped the lightsaber from his lower arms in his now-clawed feet before folding them back into their cells.

Before Karnak could react, Opila zoomed forward and brought two of his lightsaber together in either direction, decapitating the Sith Lord. The Sith troopers' nerves faltered and they ran out, leaving behind the smoldering remains of the combat droids.

[You two alright?] Opila asked T3, who blooped in response before tipping over with another _bloooooooo_.

"Wh-who are you?" Dustil asked weakly as Opila snapped off a part of Karnak's vibrosword and jammed it into the shock-retraint controls, deactivating them and releasing Dustil.

[BEEEP-BLOOoooo. Dee-reet!] T3, who had righted himself, rolled forward and gave Dustil the droid version of a hug, that is, smashing into his legs, and knocking the Jedi into the quick grasp of Opila, who injected Dustil with a stim shot and painkiller.

[We're with Revan.] Opila explained [I assume from my counterpart's reaction that you are an associate of Revan?]

"Yah…my ship…oh, my head!" Dustil bent over and reched all over Karnak's decapitated body.

Opila let out a synthesized sigh and brought out a foul-smelling container which he opened and ordered Dustil to stick out his tongue before putting a dab of green paste on it.

[It's a compound made from the krontis tree and famirlar water. It may taste nasty, but I want you to swallow and then drink this.] He shoved a small glass of clear liquid into Dustil's hand. [Just water, no worries. I've put some vitamins and anti-oxidants into it to help strengthen you.]

"Cheers" Dustil said and downed the glass in one gulp "Wow, I do feel better. Ok, so if T3 is here, where is Revan?"

[Last I checked, he's fighting his way through a group of zombies.]

"Never a moment's rest for that man, is there?"

[From what I've seen, I shudder to think of how he spent his early years. How do you Jedi manage to stay standing after all the work you do?]

"Practice, lots and lots of practice…and threats of lightsaber training sessions with Master Vrook. Now, what's next?" As if in response, the wall shook.

_**Thud…SMASH!**_

[Overjoyed statement: I have found you Mast-Disappointed statement: Oh, it's just the little grey trash-YOUCH! Watch where you're pointing that arc torch!]

* * *

**Sub-complex A-45**

"They're breaking in!" Mekel cried "I can't hold them back any longer!"

With a bout of foul-smelling air, the transparisteel door shattered, and rakghouls, many of which still wearing the tattered remains of Imperial uniforms, charged through the door. Juhani Force-shoved the first couple back while Rohlan snapped the neck of another. Hudrow grabbed a blaster from one of the lead rakghoul and boxed it over the head with it before firing into the crowd.

"Try and fill the door with them!" Thalia suggested, blasting more rakghouls with Force lightning.

Suddenly, they heard rakghouls screaming from the rear of the horde. Bright lights shone through the back of the piles of rakghouls scrambling down the corridor, and blaster bolts shot out from in between individual rakghouls.

[Enraged statement: And that's for leaving those scratch marks on my armor you savage beast!]

"HK?"

"Wait…"

[Statement: DIE YOU RAKGHOUL MEATBAGS!]

"…yep, definitely HK…"

A grenade flew into the middle of the horde. Juhani and the others barely managed to dive to the sides before it detonated, incinerating the rakghouls. "Be careful of your aim assassin!" Juhani snapped, her cat-like face in an angry growl.

[Rhetorical question: What is a Jedi without her lightsaber? Answer: For a rhetorical question, there is no answer!]

"Nice to see you too HK…" Mekel groaned, shaking his head at HK's attempt at humor.

[Assuring statement: Oh don't worry meatbag. If that didn't satisfy you, I have a hundred more to go…]

From behind HK, Juhani could see the battered frame of Dustil Onasi being supported by a droid wielding a lightsaber in its other hand. T3 and another utility droid made up the rear.

"Dustil!" Thalia and Mekel ran over and took Dustil from the droid, who turned around and guarded the corridor behind them along with T3 and the orange astromech.

[He's suffering from severe malnutrition plus whatever drugs they pumped into his system to interrogate him.] The droid informed them [We'd better hurry. The blast doors in this area are going haywire. Some are just closing randomly while others are sealing off the most heavily infested sectors. I believe the Sith may try and retake this area, and that we should be long gone by then. Do you have a ship?]

"You're very articulate for a droid" Hudrow observed "Don't happen to have organic parts in that chest of yours do you?" He joked.

[No, only a crystalline life-form.]

"Oooookay. But yes, our cruiser was tractored into here. There's some sort of massive underground facility here that connects with ancient Sith catacombs. I think we can get to our cruiser, but this facility has hundreds of fighters and warships stored underground, and our vessel doesn't have any fighters to fight them off…"

[We have a ship in orbit. Our vessel should be adequate enough to create a diversion long enough for you to get out of here.]

"Wait a moment…" Juhani said, turning to the others. "If HK's here…" She pointed to the Hunter-Killer aiming his rifle down the corridor. "…and T3's there…" she continued, pointing at the small droid scraping dirt off the other astromech "…then where in the hell is Revan?"

Opila's comlink crackled to life. "_Currently, sliding towards you at 10 mph, and in the near future, landing on top of whoever's standing underneath the grate._"

"I'd move out of the way if I were you." Dustil suggested to Rohlan, who dived out of the way when he heard a _swishing_ sound from above.

They all stared in apprehension. The noises drew nearer, and they braced themselves for the sound of a grate falling…

_**CLANG!**_

"Uhh…can I get a hand anybody?"

"You gotta give credit to the Sith for designing grates with strong infrastructure." Mekel sighed, popping open the grate. Revan leaped down, followed unceremoniously by a humanoid whose presence in the Force suggested he was a Force user. The humanoid's legs hit Revan in the head, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

The first thing that came out of Revan's mouth was "I specifically said that.."

"…you didn't want anyone to follow you no matter what. You don't want any more Trask Ulgos or Jolee Bindos. How about, 'Hi guys, how has the galaxy been since I got my things and _abandoned_ us?'" Juhani snapped, her hot Cathar temper getting the better of her.

"Hi Juhani, Mekel, Dustil, Thalia, Rohlan, and company." Revan said sarcastically "How have you faired against the Unknown Regions? Bad? Well, that's to be expected." The sound of HK firing off his rifle at a wandering rakghoul made him pause for a moment. Juhani took that chance to interrupt.

"So, I assume you have a plan for getting us out?"

"Well…define plan."

"What is your definition of plan?"

"You mean after all this time you still don't know?"

"It varies with an enigma like you."

"Fine. I'll just make it up as we go along."

"We're doomed."

The last sentence came from both Juhani and an attractive Arkanian-looking women with pale skin and blue tattoos on her face that was resting her head on the shoulder of a muscular looking young man with long brown hair. He seemed familiar to Revan.

[Interjection: Perhaps we should continue this conversation on the move?] HK suggested as farther down the hall, several undead corpses managed to break down a door and were now charging toward them.

Opila activated his repulsorlift generator and stretched out his legs and arms, forming a semi-resemblance to a hoversled, on which Dustil was placed.

"So…I assume…you-hold on, let me kill this one…met…all of…all of these…" Revan paused, either from a lack of breath or because he had no word that would describe Juhani's crew in a positive manner.

"Friends?" Juhani suggested, Force-shoving the controls on a panel up ahead and opening the door to another corridor.

"I was thinking of ruffians, but friends is a good explanation…a good partial explanation." Revan finished as they entered the massive hangar bay. The creatures had turned back once the group had gone over the threshold of the entrance corridor, as if some magic prevented them from going in.

"My god…" Thalia held onto Mekel as the group surveyed the contents of the hangar. Giant skeletal frames of battlecruisers lay partially finished while further down the hangar, mostly complete cruisers awaited weapons and internal systems. The rows of half-finished ships went on for miles, and there were hundreds of other rows stacked underneath.

"This fleet…it's enormous…" Juhani gasped.

"And if the Sith have similar installations on other planets…" Revan said, his voice trailing off.

"The Republic would never be able to combat this fleet! Not now, when almost all of our ships are toast, and not even later, when we're at our full strength and this fleet has been completed."

[Revan, I don't mean to suddenly complicate things, but I've taken a head count and we're short three people.]

"Really?" Revan frowed "We've got Juhani's full crew, Juhani, you, HK, T3, 3C…"

[Huhhhh….we came here with three other people!]

"Oh crap!"

"…eh…not to worry young lad. Though I might need some help here." The group turned, and the figures of Phiran and the other two emerging out from behind a pile of crates created mixed reactions, the most prominent being Juhani's exclamation of "Jolee, you're alive!" before Phiran slowly shook his head.

"This is Phiran Bindo, Jolee's cousin." Revan explained to a downcast Juhani. She nodded slowly.

"I came round not long after the Sith carried us into the base. I pretended to be unconscious when they relieved us of any weapons, and Force-called my lightsaber to me after they left. Then I woke up these two and we made our way to the hangar, and you found us debating about whether or not to rush for that small freighter that looks like Revan's."

"Which happens to be _mine_!" Juhani snapped.

"How about we discuss this _after_ we leave the Sith/rakghoul infested base?" Revan suggested, glancing wearily around the hangar. Someone was sure to have seen them by now, whether in person or on a holocamera. The piles of crates and containers they were hiding behind didn't protect them from thermal imaging systems.

"Works with me." Se-ril said, activating the blood-red lightsaber he had taken from the fallen Sith back in the lab "Shall we?" Revan grinned and his own two lightsabers came into hand.

"CHARGE!" Revan, Se-ril, and Juhani leaped over the pile of crates, with the others following close behind.

[Exclamation: Die Sith meatbags! This is droid performance at its best!]

[Bleep-boop dweeeeeee?]

[Wheerrrr…bleep-beep!]

[Weary statement mixed with explicit exclamation: Very well-DIE SITH!- we are droid performance at its best…happy?]

The first Sith guard that ran forward to stop them got a fistful of durasteel in his face, courtesy of HK-47. While the droids and the non-Force wielders formed a ring around the boarding ramp, Revan and the Jedi charged into the vessel, locking blades with Sith guards and grappling with Sith technicians and mechanics.

As the last guard fell, Sith troopers and Sith Acolytes began streaming into the hangar from all sides. "Move it, unless you want to be left behind!" Juhani snapped to her crew, deflecting bolts with Revan as so to allow the rest of the escapees to board the vessel.

"Take off once everyone's strapped in!" Juhani said to Hudrow through her combat headset. Revan stood beside her, and Force-shoved an incoming squad of heavy troopers into their comrades before hurling a ball of Force-energy into the floor below the downed squad, shattering it and sending them falling five stories.

"But what about you two?"

"Once you're in the air, lower the boarding ramp and head for one of those scaffoldings, surrounding the Sith cruisers. Be ready for a hasty getaway once we're onboard!"

"Let's give the Sith something to worry about besides two Jedi!" Rohlan chuckled; unfolding the ship's concealed missile launchers and firing a rack-full of high-yield Dymac T-35 concussion missiles into the waves of charging Sith, sending them scattering.

"Open the top hatch!" Hudrow ordered as he swerved the vessel to the side to avoid an incoming missile from a hastily set up projectile launcher before blasting the weapon with a few rounds of blasterfire.

Rohlan and HK climbed up the access tube to the outer hull, where they magnetized their feet and began blasting random troopers on the ground.

"The Sith are starting to fan out!" Phiran warned Revan "If my hunch is right, you've got big trouble coming, and I mean literally bid trouble! Giant metal trouble. Not easy to kill." As if on cue, the giant loading doors to a side hangar opened up and five large clanking behemoths lumbered onto the platform. They were the height of two rancors standing on each other's head (That was, if rancors would ever calm down enough to do so), and were armed to the brim with weaponry.

Revan sized up their opponents before Force-calling a blaster to his hand and firing off a shot at a fuel silo located beside them. The resulting explosion consumed the behemoths and Revan lost sight of them. "That was easy," Revan said "Why did you say 'not easy to kill'…" The giant war droids emerged out of the flames, scorched, but barely damaged.

"Shit."

"You can say that again."

"…that again…"

"Fire everything!" Rohlan roared through his helmet, and took the heavy repeater from its hold on his back and began letting loose on the droid. The bolts just bounced off and burrowed themselves in the ground around the droid.

"Watch your aim Rohlan!" Revan cursed, and he jumped out of the way of a flurry of deflected bolts. He concentrated and furrowed his brow. The war droids' entire bodies were covered in black armor, which Revan was sure had some sort of lightsaber deflecting capabilities…no, wait. The armor only seemed to cover their limbs, head, and upper torso, but the joints between the different parts of their limbs were unarmored as so not to restrict movement, but there was probably shielding protecting the non-armored areas. Also, Revan thought he could see some sort of tank on the back of each droid, but what was it for?

A blast of fire spouting from the right arm of each droid answered Revan's question, but also gave him an idea. Although it was barely noticeable, Revan saw that the lower torso shielding of each droid kept on flickering, probably due to the welding of circuits when they walked into the explosion. If he could just get there without being blasted…

"Rohlan, HK! Focus your fire on those water pipes on the ceiling. Specifically the area right above us."

"Alright, but you'd better be careful not to get soaked." Rohlan turned his heavy repeater to the ceiling and let loose at the many pipes and wires hanging there. More of Juhani's crew had clambered up onto the top hull, and were providing overlapping streams of fire at the droids. While it didn't damage them, the ricocheting bolts forced the Sith to spread out to avoid the bolts, giving Juhani and Revan some breathing room.

The lights in this area of the construction hangar flickered, and water began pouring down from the burst pipes, showering Revan and company in a heavy downpour. The Siths' HUDs began going haywire due to the unexpected shower and their inability to switch to water-mode, and Revan and Juhani made their move.

While Juhani Force-leaped above the first war droid, Revan Force-enhanced his speed and dropped to the ground, sliding on the slick floor underneath the droid. Force-calling a fallen missile launcher into his hands, he began firing non-stop at the unshielded lower torso of the droid, screaming bloody murder. As he suspected, the missiles didn't destroy the droid, but they did interfere with its internal systems and motor functions. As he drew close to the droid's left foot, he whipped out his lightsaber and slashed through the motor function cables and servos connecting the foot with the lower leg. Still sliding, he bowled into a group of Sith, knocking them over while his enhanced speed allowed him to continue sliding underneath another droid, and he grabbed hold of its leg and began slicing through wires before leaping onto its shoulders and bringing both lightsabers down into its chest, destroying delicate circuitry and wiring, before hurling a ball of Force energy into the largest of the holes he had created, which promptly detonated inside the droid's chest, tearing it apart from the inside out.

With one leg un-operational and internal sensors down, the first war droid fell backwards the moment it began turning around to fire at Revan. It managed to right itself, but that required most of its power, dropping its aft shielding, giving Juhani her chance. Running up the droid's arm, she narrowly avoided a swipe from the droid's other arm, which sliced off its forearm. Leaping off the shoulder, she brought her lightsaber hilt-deep into the fuel tank, sliding down and slicing through the wires and tubes stabilizing the flammable fluids inside. She blasted the tank with a bout of Force lightning, and the droid, with its shields down and interior exposed, was blown apart in the resulting explosion.

Revan took a running leap and dodged a strike from another war droid's fist, before leaping onto its head and then onto some higher scaffolding where Juhani was waiting impatiently for him. "Hudrow, now would be a good time to get us out of here!" Juhani suggested, as she and Revan began running as the Sith droids blasted the catwalk where they had been standing.

"Get ready to jump!" Hudrow advised the pair as the _Glory of Cathar_ began ascending "Rohlan, I'd advise you to get inside unless you fancy death by vacuum."

"Sure…just let me do something…" For a heavy repeater, Rohlan's blaster had exceptional aim, as he demonstrated by blasting the controls for the roof doors across the hangar, opening them up.

In one fluid move, Revan and Juhani leaped onto the boarding ramp, one after the other, and ran inside just as the ship's engines went into overdrive.

* * *

"Whyohwhyohwhyohwhy did I let you talk me into doing this?" Hudrow screamed to no one in particular as the ship broke the canopy layer, a trio of interceptors on its tail.

"_Devoltar_, we could use some help here!" Phiran practically roared into the comm station as the galaxy map screen shattered and flames began gushing out of the port where it used to be.

T3 began spraying the flames with foam while Streak began rattling off damage reports and how the ion cannon didn't seem to be functioning. The young Arkanian offshoot and her boyfriend obviously had some sort of Force training, and were doing all they could to seal a bulkhead that was threatening to burst open, exposing the crew to vacuum.

Several more craft joined the trio assaulting the _Glory of Cathar_, and one of them was a small commando dropship, from which six heavily armed Sith commandos dropped onto the freighter's hull.

"Juhani dear, I believe we have guests." Rohlan called with mock sweetness from the Main Hold where he was tending to some of Revan's minor wounds.

"Well then why don't you give them a warm welcome?" Juhani suggested, firing a rack full of concussion missiles into the stern of the unlucky fighter that attempted to cut across their bow.

"Since you asked so nicely…" Rohlan turned to the Arkanian and the human male "Jarael! Zayne! Get on your armor!" He pulled on his helmet and his next words were slightly muffled.

"We're going to give them a _warm_ welcome…"

* * *

Next chapter will be released some time after New Years, but not on New Years.

Please R & R

Also, don't forget to vote on whether I have Dustil take Nebellish's place in the Mysterious Tomb (The one the Jedi Exile visits on Korriban), or stay with Nebellish.

**AND VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE MISSION VAO BE RELATED TO ASTRAAL AND SHADO VAL, SEEING AS THE FOOLS AS LUCASART DECIDED NOT TO MAKE IT SO!**


	24. Chapter 24: What two can do

**So here is Chapter 24! Happy New Year!**

Outer hull of a certain _Dynamic_-class freighter…

"There's nothing like nice cold vacuum to really freshen the senses!" Rohlan roared. In response, a flurry of blasterfire slammed into him, nearly tearing him off the hull "Oooooo, I _love_ it when you boys get saucy! Come to uncle Rohlan!" With that, he charged forward, with surprisingly good ease seeing as he was in a suit of armor standing in almost zero gravity.

"That _beskar_ armor really is something…" Revan murmured as he watched Rohlan through the external maintenance cam "I need to get a suit of that stuff…"

"First, you need to get a willing Mandalorian alchemist and metalsmith." Dustil said. When Revan looked at him with a curious look, he just shrugged. "You made me write a full history report on the Great Hyperspace Wars when I took out half the power in the Aurek District after I was practicing with my lightsaber, and I found Mandalorian culture interesting."

"Ahhh…" Revan remembered. It was right after the Battle of Manaan, and Dustil had been on a training mission with Revan investigating recent Exchange activity in the more seedy areas of Galactic City. Dustil had taken his own initiative and split up with Revan to investigate another street block. He had found a dealer dealing in Death Sticks, but the dealer was actually an Exchange crime boss, who, unfortunately, had killed Jedi before.

By the time Revan had arrived, Dustil was on the boss's back, hands covering his eyes while the crime boss blindly attempted to drag Dustil off. Unfortunately, Dustil had his lightsaber in his hand, unlit maybe, but still in his hands, and in the struggle, he accidently jammed it into a wall panel, and the metal spikes on the end sliced through the main power conduit, which resulted in the generators blowing up. Power was out in the Aurek Sector for at least three days, and Revan made Dustil write a 500 datapad report on the Great Hyperspace Wars, the combatants, and their reasons for fighting in punishment.

"_Hut'uun_! Come back here!" Rohlan roared to a commando whose thrusterpack had been disabled by his knuckle vibroblade. The commando never stood a chance.

To his left, the other five commandos were surrounding the red-suited couple. "Come on, you can't handle us!" One of the commandos taunted, bringing out a lightsaber "We're Sith, and you are-"

He was thrown off the hull and into the path of a stream of incoming cannon fire "Jedi?" Zayne Carrick asked innocently, withdrawing a blue lightsaber. Next to him, Jarael took out a yellow lightsaber and sliced through another commando's torso. Rohlan tore through the exo-suits of two more, exposing them to cold vacuum.

Taking on one Mandalorian was hard enough. Taking on one Mandalorian _and_ two Jedi was almost impossible. The last Sith commando shrugged and attempted to take off, but two shots from Rohlan's pistol hit his thrusterpack and turned him into a small short-lived fireball.

"Rohlan, get your armored ass back inside. We're coming into range of the _Devoltar_'s cannons and I don't think their gunners are half as good as Republic soldiers." Juhani ordered.

"Oy! That's my crew you're dissing!" Phiran snapped back. For some reason, there was a large rift between them, filled with hostility and resentment, but mostly coming from Juhani.

The _Devoltar_'s long range quad laser cannons began laying an intricate web of fire around the _Glory of Cathar_, incinerating the Sith fighters and dropship but leaving the freighter with only small hull scratches.

"We're coming in fast…" Juhani warned the hangar crew, who immediately scrambled, shoving crates out of the _Glory of Cathar_'s flight path and struggling to remove a pre-war Aurek Mark I tactical strikefighter, before giving up and diving out of the way.

Juhani managed to level the ship, but it hit the hangar floor too hard and too fast, tearing off the aft landing gear and sending sparks flying. Juhani managed to bring the nose of the freighter up, saving the forward landing gear, but her ship's armored front crushed the fighter against the hangar wall, reducing it to scrap.

Fire crews ran forward and put out the flames before two lifter droids moved to the rear of the freighter to take the place of the destroyed landing legs. Medical crews ascended the boarding ramp and helped Phiran and the other injured escapees. Dustil had to be carried out in a stretcher with a full life support machine attached. "Sir, we received a distress call from an unidentified personal skiff near where we rescued Revan at the nebula. When we arrived, it was abandoned." The dock master reported to Phiran as he limped to the turbolift "Not sure if it's-"

"That would be my ship, the _Shadow Catcher_." Mekel piped up "Please tell me you have it."

"We tractored it in the moment we lost contact with the bombers." The dock master grinned "It's a little scuffed, but not anything a little maintenance job won't fix." Mekel frowned.

"I'm a Jedi, don't lie. Or…wait…you're not lying so much as hiding most of the true from me…" Mekel said. The dockmaster's eyebrows arched in surprised and he whistled before motioning to two mechanics standing by a closed inner hangar bay door.

"You're not going to like it…" The doors opened, and a crane arm extended out, carrying what remained of the sleek personal yacht that once belonged to a Sith assassin. One of the tri-engine pods at the stern was completely missing, and two of the laser cannons that Revan had added on were bent at insane angles. The quantum armor was warped and bent, and in some areas, completely missing, with the telltale signs of cannon fire still etched in the surrounding secondary hull. As for the cockpit, two panels of transparisteel were cracked and looked ready to shatter, and Revan could see consoles erupting in non-stop showers of sparks. He winced and covered his ears, waiting for Mekel to explode.

"_**AARRRRGHHHHHH!**_"

* * *

**Med Bay**

"How are you feeling?" Se-ril asked Revan. The former Dark Lord of the Sith groaned and sat up.

"Well, this is better than when I got tortured almost to death by a certain former Republic admiral." Revan replied, gazing at the bandages covering both of his arms. "Still, I think I feel better than Mekel." He glanced over at the young man sitting upright in his medical pod, eyes staring forward at the window, watching as Phiran's mechanics attempted to salvage what they could from the site of Juhani and her crew's capture. From what Revan had heard, the moment after the _Ebon Hawk_ had escaped with the Torrent battle group back at the nebula, Juhani's small flotilla appeared, and found themselves not facing Revan, but a fully armed Sith fleet.

"We had my ship, the _Shadow Catcher_, and a small corvette that we bought right after you encountered Hudrow." Juhani said "But against a fleet? Two small vessels and a corvette don't pack that much fire power. We were lucky that they only blew up the corvette…but my crew…"

"Juhani…" Revan almost put his hand on her shoulder, but stopped immediately, remembering how unpredictable Cathars could be when in an intense emotional state.

"Revan, you need to know who will be behind you in the fight yet to come." Dustil wheezed from his hoverchair, a thick neck brace strapped around his neck. "Hell, I thought I was the only one, and that wasn't even on purpose!"

"There's us four," Juhani began, actually needing to count off on her fingers, indicating herself, Dustil, Mekel, and Thalia "Hudrow, Rohlan, Jarael, Zayne-"

"Well, if it isn't the champion of the Taris swoop race." Revan almost cried out. Emerging from the med bay door were Zelka Forn and Gadon Thek, the latter a little bruised up. "Zelka…Gadon…what-how?" He was at a loss for words.

"You really got a bargain for that crate of a corvette Juhani." Zelka said, wincing as he stretched out his arms "Those compartments really hold up even if your ship has been blown out from under your feet." Gadon explained to Revan.

"If you don't already know, not all of us died when the Sith bombarded Taris. Have to say, that was a pretty cowardly move. Didn't expect it. But at least their head honcho got what he deserved from what I hear." He clapped Revan on the back a little too hard, and tears streamed down Revan's face as he bit down on his tongue to prevent himself from crying out. Gadon interpreted the reason for the tears in a different way. "There's no need to cry. Sure, Malak destroyed an entire planet for three fugitives, but look on the bright side!" He paused and everyone looked at him.

"Well?" Juhani asked dryly.

"Ok…maybe there isn't a bright side, but still!" The med bay doors opened again and an angry Phiran stumbled in.

"Your…_associates_ have taken over Storage Hold B!" He snapped at Gadon "And that purple Twi'lek told me to cut my hair, it makes me look like some freakish holy man!" Gadon and Revan chuckled. Even T3, who was positioned beside Revan, let out an amused _bleep_.

"Zaedra made it off Taris as well I presume?" Revan asked Gadon. "She still has a temper that one."

"Yep, she escaped along with some other Hidden Beks. Zelka was lucky we left the Lower City when we did. Found him being accosted by two Sith troopers about the Republic soldiers in his back room. Would have shot him right there if we hadn't jumped out of the turbolift." Zelka smiled sheepishly.

"But anyway, we traveled around for a bit. Kept our heads low, in case the Sith went looking for survivors of Taris. And that's when we met Juhani on the Outer Rim!"

A medical droid came over and checked Revan's pulse [You are clear for duty.] It said in a pleasant female voice [We just have to redress the bandaging on your right arm and you will be able to leave.]

"You're the doctor." Revan said. The droid unwrapped the bandaging from his arm and redressed it before putting it back in the sling. Revan coughed and held his chest. His ribs were well on the mend, but his shoulder blade had just been violently shoved back into its original position and there was some minor bruising on the bone.

[It is truly amazing that you managed to fight through the Sith base with the injuries you sustained in the crash.] Opila said from the bedside of Hudrow, who had broken his arm in the wild maneuvers he had executed during their escape from Ziost. [That and the Sith undead bite would have incapacitated another man.]

"Yah, but Revan's not 'another man'! He's the prodigal knight!" Dustil called out before descending in a coughing fit.

Revan turned to Juhani "How are Bastila and the others?" He asked quietly.

"We left when you did." Juhani replied "But we stayed in contact with Mission for a few days. The last transmission we got from her said that she had decided to go with Zaalbar back to Kashyyyk as an official liaison to the Republic." Dustil and Revan began coughing simultaneously, and this time, it wasn't from their wounds.

"Mission?-_cough_-an ambassador? Hehehehehehe-oh sheb-HAAAHAHA!-_cough cough cough_" Revan was occupied for a few moments as he attempted to stop laughing before calming down enough to resume talking.

"Who knew? She's gone from an orphan on Taris to the Wookiees' liaison to the Republic." Revan continued with wide eyes.

"Well, the Wookiees aren't particularly fond of offworlders, especially after what happened with Czerka…" Juhani reminded them "Zaalbar's a Chieftain now; he and Mission are the closest thing to siblings. Plus, the Wookiees' like her well enough."

"The first steps to repairing a torn relationship." Revan smiled "The Republic could stand to learn a thing or two about weaponry and architecture from the Wookiees. They also are more advanced than they appear. I mean, you should see the demand for bowcasters and Wookiee rifles on the black market."

"I'd love to be able to hold a bowcaster…" Phiran sighed "Heard about them, but never actually held one. They're said to be very accurate and deadly…"

"Yep, you should have seen some of the carnage that Zaalbar created when he was mad and holding his bowcaster." Revan sighed "Too bad he stopped using it as his primary weapon after he received Bacca's blade." When he was greeted with blank stares from everyone save for Juhani, he sighed and began explaining "It's a really ancient sword. About this long I believe." He held his hands apart at a certain distance "Very powerful blow. But its history is even more interesting. You see, it was created by…"

* * *

**Rwookrrorro, Kashyyyk**

**The Great Walkway**

The bird's call heralded the last moments of the dying sun. Although the Great Walkway had been cleared of most of the kinrath spiders, some were still known to come out at night. "_Which is why I don't think cave diving is such a good idea right now_…" Zaalbar groaned as he gripped tightly onto the thick vine rope that held his best friend at the other end. He dug his feet into the wood, but slid a few inches forward, dangerously close to the edge of the massive tree trunk that he was standing on.

"Come on Big Z! Just…lower…the…rope!" Zaalbar growled and gritted his teeth. His paws were red and rope-burned under his fur, and his arms ached. Suddenly, he caught sight of Malchamashata, or Ashata as he called her, a beautiful Wookiee his age with the softest fur, the whitest teeth…

"Pay attention to the rope Zaalbar!" Mission cried out, as she suddenly fell a few feet before stopping, the stop causing the rope to tighten around her waist. "I can see the cave entrance from here. Just-_sheb_!" The beacon she had tide to her left arm shook loose during the sudden drop, and was swallowed by the darkness that was the vertical entrance to the cave.

"_Alright Mission, that's it. Time to come up._" Zaalbar said, groaning when he sat Ashata notice him and start to walk over. Then he saw the rope winch on her back. That was another thing he liked about Ashata; she liked Mission, and she was now probably coming to help.

"No! Just let me get another light and then I…" Silence, followed by several loud animal shrieks and roars.

"_Mission?_"

"Pull me up! Pull me up! Hurry, oh god, pull me up!"

Zaalbar wrapped the rope around a branch stump before rushing to the platform edge, bowcaster armed and ready. Mission was grasping onto the rope for dear life, one hand grasping her personal vibroblade, the other holding onto the rope. Swarming her was the largest pack of mykals Zaalbar had ever seen. What was worse, kinrath spiders were ascending on the tree trunk, and Mission was just close enough for them to attempt to grab her.

"ZAAAAALLLLBBBBAARRR!"

Zaalbar roared and lobbed a timer grenade down at the swarm. It detonated, incinerating several while sending others screeching back into the depths, their entire bodies on fire. Some kinrath were knocked off the tree by the explosion, only to be grabbed and consumed by their fellow spiders climbing below them.

Green bolts of energy flew out of Zaalbar's bowcaster as he tried to scare the mykals away. It wasn't working, but he managed to scatter them…or at least, that was what he thought until he saw what had really scattered them. The largest mykal he had ever seen, the size of the _Ebon Hawk_ and then some, reared out of the darkness and snapped at Mission. This caused Zaalbar, to panic, and his next shot went wild of the mykal he had been aiming at, and hit the rope, severing it and sending Mission screaming down into the depths below. Zaalbar was in shock until he heard a splash. Mission must have fallen into one of the subterranean lakes. At least she was alive…for now.

A questioning woof tore his attention away from the edge of the platform. Ashata stood beside him, her bowcaster at the ready and her two swords strapped to her back. She nodded to the rope winch she had placed on the ground and then to the platform edge. Zaalbar groaned, saying that it was too dangerous for the two of them to enter the Shadowlands alone…

Ashata cut him off, saying a small party of warriors would join them in the lower levels. They too had their reasons for finding Mission urgently: Two days earlier, scouts at Kachiro had spotted three Trandoshan dropships in the upper atmosphere, on a direct course for Rwookrrorro.

* * *

**Lower Shadowlands**

The first thing Mission felt was something hairy crawling across her back. She leaped up screaming, and the small rodent scampered off into the darkness. She took a stock of her surroundings. First of all, she was dripping wet, and her beacon was out, probably due to the water. She appeared to be beside some sort of subterranean lake, just like the map that the cave mappers had made said would be there. Which meant that there should be an entrance into the Shadowlands from here…Mission would have done anything except go into the Shadowlands again, but she didn't fancy running into that oversized mykal for a second and probably the last time. She must have lain here for at least a week, because her chronometer, even though it was broken, was frozen on the day five days after she fell. Weak from hunger, Mission knew she stood little chance against an attack.

Luckily, the passage she utilized was clear of kinrath and mykals, yet she couldn't help but feel that someone was watching her, not in the creepy sense, but like a parent or Revan used to do, making sure that she was alright.

"_Listening to voices, that's a sign of madness_." A voice said out of nowhere.

Mission stopped dead in her tracks. The voice came out of nowhere, yet was everywhere.

"_Keep moving Mission_." The voice said again. The passage came to a fork, and the right passage seemed to glow blue for a moment. Mission gulped and decided to take whoever was watching her's advice, and went down the right passage.

When she finally emerged, she found herself beside the old hut of Jolee Bindo, now in a decaying state after a year of abandonment. Now she knew who was guiding her. "Thanks old man…" she whispered as she gently pushed the door open. Luckily, it was metal and wood, and therefore hadn't decayed as much as the rest of the house.

"_Downstairs…_" Mission followed Jolee's instructions and descended the roughly-cut stone steps into the basement. Jolee had taken his lightsaber and cut a cozy fairly-sized room, with a small circular nest-like bed and five shelves of non-perishable supplies. In addition, an old replicator/cooking unit taken from Jolee's crashed ship occupied the corner.

"Awesome…" Mission breathed out, before setting down her gear on a table and approaching the shelves. She grabbed two tins of sensat rice and a self-heating container of tarekin ribs. Placing the tins of rice in the cooking unit, she broke the seal of the rib container, activating the self-heating function.

Soon, the entire basement was filled with the delicious smell of cooking ribs and steamed rice. Grabbing a sealed bottle of water, Mission sat down to the first real meal she had eaten in a long time. Sure, the Wookiees and their roughly cooked meats and vegetables were ok, but they were used to raw foods, and weren't accustomed to guests with diets of cooked food.

Tearing the meat off a rib, she stuffed a spoonful of rice in with it before watching it down with water. She winced as the hot meat burned her tongue, but she hadn't had that sort of feeling in a long time. After polishing off the ribs and rice, she sat down in a chair covered in soft fur and began tinkering with her datapad and some wiring.

* * *

Zaalbar grunted as Shyrrer and Marrocca, a married couple and also two of the best fighters and scouts lowered the rope winches. Beside him, Ashata jumped down with all the grace of a Twi'lek dancer. He stopped too long to admire her, and when the next section of rope came toppling down, he lost his foot grip on the tree trunk and found himself downside up, face-to-face with a rat. He bared his teeth and the rat scampered back into the hole that it called home.

Suddenly, he heard the faint _blip blip blip_ of what sounded like sonar. Curious, he fished out his datapad and turned on the screen. There, just faintly visible, was Mission's datapad signal, emanating from the area of the Shadowlands situated right near the lift basket. He woofed to Ashata and showed her the datapad. She was quiet for a moment before saying a short series of barks and growls to Shyrrer and Marrocca, the latter of the duo cheering when she heard the news. Shyrrer put an end to her celebration, when he mentioned that the Trandoshans were probably going to enter Rwookrrorro _through_ the basket lift, which meant that they had to get to Mission before the Trandoshans discovered her.

As they were lowered further into the Shadowlands, Zaalbar suddenly jerked on the rope, signaling to Shyrrer and Marrocca to stop. When Ashata looked at him curiously, he sniffed and pointed to the ground a few stories below them. Even if she couldn't smell them, Ashata could hear them before she saw them.

The Trandoshans were right below them!

* * *

_**Devoltar**_

**Revan's quarters**

Revan's quarters consisted of a series of five rooms, arranged in a square and connected by four short passages, in which side doors led off to storage closets and the refresher. One of the rooms was located between two of the "corner" rooms, and acted as the entrance forum/sitting room. It was here that the group dubbed "The Prodigal Crew" by Phiran, after hearing Revan's title, was now sitting, each nursing a hot cup of caf.

"So...to start off," Revan began "Phiran has some useful data that he would like to show us."

"You didn't think that I just waited in the hangar while you guys made your daring escape did you?" Phiran joked "No, I didn't. We got a lot of hard data on the Sith; schematics, troop numbers, navy strength, you name it. Trouble was, we got cut off mid-download, so we didn't get all of it, but we did get a fair amount of data that we can use."

A holo-projector popped open and images began flashing across the room. "Here…" Revan said, putting his finger to a schematic of the same war droids that he and Juhani had faced on Ziost. The projector's AI recognized Revan's hand movement and the schematic expanded until it filled the center of the room.

"_Behemoth_-class destroyer…" Rohlan read "…commissioned five years ago…it's got cortosis armor…that looks like a flame thrower…concussion missile launcher on its right arm…pulse shielded…here's something interesting; it carries eight war droids in its legs, four in each lower leg."

"That thing is a recipe for destruction." Juhani agreed "Any weaknesses?"

"Well, we already found one back in the hangar." Revan noted "It's shielding can only go so far. The shoulders don't seem to have pulse shielding and neither do the joints. I sliced through the ankle without much trouble. Here's something else…it has a composite laser beam that comes out of its right upper back, but the shields go down for at least five seconds after firing of the beam."

"But look here…" Dustil said, pointing with difficulty, as his arms were still on the mend "It's equipped with a Class IV Strategy AI." When he was met with blank stares, he sighed and explained "Basically, it's a learning program. Every moment you spend fighting the machine only increases its knowledge on how to beat you. Your moves, even your fighting style are downloaded and stored in its memory. But when warriors tested it, they found that it has difficulty adapting to combatants who change their strategy halfway through the fight."

"What about the installation?" Juhani asked "Any information on that?"

Phiran frowned and began flipping through data. "Here's something on the installation…" He began slowly "Looks like that was the only one of many built on worlds other than Dromund Kaas."

"What worlds do the Sith hold?" Revan asked.

"They have control over most of the systems in this sector. The Republic doesn't know this, but some of its Outer Rim planets are aligned with the Sith Empire, even though they outwardly appear to be loyal to the Republic."

"These installations…Revan pulled up a holo-map of the Unknown Regions and circled the worlds of Ch'hodos and Krayiss "The Republic has had contact these planets since the Great Hyperspace War. It may have been a while since they've attracted our attention, but I don't see how the Empire could have taken control of them without someone noticing."

"Someone did." Phiran sighed and pulled up another image "The two corvettes that were protecting the outpost on Krayiss were presumed lost in an ion storm by the Republic, but in reality…" Another image popped up. It appeared to be a cruiser's exterior maintenance camera, which would explain why the image was so grainy. But it was clear enough to show the shattered remains of what could easily be identified as two medium-build corvettes. An object floated close enough to the camera for it to be identified as a body. "The planets were low-priority. People wanted to forget about the war, so some office temp was placed in charge of operating those outposts. When they lost contact, no one paid any attention. But even so, the amount of residual radiation from weapons fire suggested that the Sith sent _entire fleets_ to take out these outposts."

"There's no way that the combined efforts of the Torrent and my forces can take out the Sith Empire" Revan began.

"Whoa, hold on a moment!" Dustil leaped up and winced slightly, clutching his ribcage "You said that we shouldn't follow you, and now we're 'your forces'?"

"If it wasn't for me, you'd be still strapped to that torture rack on Ziost!" Revan grumbled. Rohlan leaped up in defense of the young Jedi.

"Leave the kid alone! If it wasn't for your friend Opila, we might have been rakghoul-meat when he shut down the security grid!"

The whole room erupted into argument.

"I didn't ask for any of you to come!"

"Oh, so we're just something you take advantage of, a 'resource'!"

"We have as much right to be here as you do!"

"You stay out of this Dustil! You turned down our offer to join us in following Revan!"

"Well, I for one wanted to respect his wishes, something _you_ chose not to!"

"You both are equally at fault! Why if I didn't have self-control I'd-"

**FWAP! FWAP! FWAP!**

[Interjection: Silence meatbags!] Everyone turned their heads to see the imposing figure of HK-47 standing with his droid assassin rifle. Three smoking holes on the ceiling marked where he had fired off the weapon.

[Statement: As much as I like meatbag violence, there is a 65.49% probability that such actions would result in further damaging my master's fragile meatbag body. Conclusion: Therefore, can we please settle this predicament the old fashion way?]

"He's got a point." Dustil said, sitting down "We shouldn't fight."

[Correction: I meant one-one-one duels to the death. Winner automatically wins the argument.]

"Not really helping here HK…" Revan grumbled.

[Query: But Master, I meant that you would win in the duel, therefore you would win the argument, am I not wrong?]

"No way, I would win." Phiran grumbled.

"Hah! If anyone tried to go up against me, I would win!" Rohlan laughed "No one beats a Mandalorian!"

"On the contrary…" Zayne Carrick piped up "Together, Jarael and I would make quick work of you Revanchist."

"And there are times when I still wonder if you really are innocent…" Revan sighed.

"What, for the Padawan Massacre? You know I am!" Zayne objected.

"No, I meant in all this. You really try my belief that none of you are innocent in the strife and turmoil that is happening right now." Revan sighed.

"Hey, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been singled out as a potential Sith Lord!" Zayne shot back.

"What exactly do you mean?" Revan asked, more in bewilderment than as a challenge.

"If your friend Alec hadn't gone up and talked to me, than the Masters wouldn't have sensed darkness emanating from where we stood, or where Alec stood!" Zayne responded.

"Right, because this 'Alec' became the Darth Malak that everyone here hates?" Phiran asked, scratching his head.

Suddenly, Phiran's comlink crackled to life. "Captain, you really should see this…" The voice of the _Devoltar_'s navigations officer was nervous at best, but Revan could sense pure dread in her aura.

* * *

"What is it?" Phiran asked as they stepped off the turbolift.

"My god…" Revan gaped at the sight before them. A dark stain was spreading through the nebula, like blood from a sword wound. Lightning crackled at the edges of the stain, which was practically radiating the dark side of the Force.

What was worse, the nebula seemed to be growing, slowly moving toward the _Devoltar_, encompassing it on three sides, making its only possible escape route the back without having to enter the nebula.

"I'm reading unidentified masses approaching at high speed."

"Two unidentified cruisers approaching from far side of the nebula…no, make that one-They've locked weapons!"

"Three more unidentified masses approaching from the starboard!"

"All power to front deflector shields. Launch starfighter wings!" Phiran roared, moving to the front of the bridge. "All hands, this is the captain. Emergency Code Delta! All hands to battle stations!"

"Phiran…" Now, the masses were visible.

"Asteroids…" Phiran cursed "But how did the Sith…" Revan stopped him and pointed to the areas behind the asteroids.

"They've built engines on the backs." Revan explained.

"Those look like ramming rods and turbolaser emplacements…"

"Expect incoming fire from-"

The entire bridge shook as the first wave of turbolasers drained the primary shields to almost 15%. The viewscreens darkened against the glare of the shields flaring up. Revan was thrown into a pit station, landing on top of a weapons officer, who leaped out of the way as he hit the floor.

"Bravo Leader! Alpha Leader! Sigma Leader! Take out those turbolaser emplacements!" Phiran roared as another blast hit the ship.

The assorted fighters and bombers swooped down on the asteroids. "Incoming fighters! Pick your targets men!" The voice of Bravo Leader cried out. Alpha Flight and Sigma Flight were still lining up for their run.

Suddenly, Revan sensed danger in the form of the turbolasers. "Bravo Leader, pull out of there, I repeat, pull out of there!" He screamed into the comlink.

"What do you mean?—ARGH!" The turbolaser emplacements exploded, taking out the fighters closest to them while the asteroid fragments torn loose saw to the rest. Only two fighters of Bravo Flight managed to break loose and return to the _Devoltar_.

"_Ranger_! _Tempest_! Call back your fighter squadrons!" Phiran ordered the two other ships.

"Revan, that ship…" Dustil gasped.

"No…how could she? They were destroyed…" The large unidentified cruiser emerged from the nebula right behind the asteroids. It was eerily familiar to Revan, Dustil, HK-47, and T3-M4.

"The _Hope_…" Dustil pointed to the ship that made up the bow.

"The Mandalorian dungeon ship…" Revan whispered, gazing at the ship attached to an appendage on the port side of the triangular vessel.

"Those look like the ships that the Sith stole when I first encountered Acheron…" He continued, remembering the hijacked Republic vessels during the battle after their visit to Lehon. The two _Hammerhead_-class ships were attached to the port side. The hammerhead parts of each ship however, were located on the bridge tower of the cruiser.

"And the vessel that makes up the core…it has part from the destroyed _Blood Mauler_." Phiran cursed "That's Acheron's flagship."

"We've received a communications offer." Lieutenant Commander Sandra Meyers reported.

"Put it through." Phiran said softly.

The front viewscreen turned black, before changing to the darkened bridge of Darth Acheron's new flagship, the _Predator_.

"Revan, we do seem to keep running into each other under these tiring circumstances, don't we?" Acheron purred with mock sweetness.

"Looking good…_Acheron_," Revan practically spat out the name, relishing in the fact that he could address her directly as she did to him. "I see you've had some work done. What, you didn't like my work? I'm hurt." He waved his hands toward her unblemished face, which now gave her the appearance of a woman in her late-20's.

"Oh, your…cosmetic surgery on my face was _memorable_…" Acheron replied "But I found it somewhat…_lacking_ in the beauty department. Do you like my new toy? It's called the _Predator_."

"Love what you've…_put into it_. But, as much as I'd love to stand here till the galaxy ends exchanging love messages with you, we're kind of in a hurry, so if you could just move your ship to the left a bit?..." Revan trailed off, knowing she wouldn't.

"Oh no…" Acheron's voice was filled with malice "You're not going anywhere. The Council isn't pleased with your actions on Ziost Revan, not at all. And your friend there has been a thorn in the Emperor's side for too long."

"You shouldn't have murdered Jolee." Revan said softly, but threateningly.

"What, the old man? You can _hardly_ call that a murder, but more of a _mercy killing_ considering his age…" Phiran swore and gave Acheron the rudest gesture he could think of at the moment.

"Cut the link." He snapped at an ensign "All stations, fire on that vessel!"

"Wrong choice." Acheron chuckled before the transmission was cut.

"The asteroids are picking up speed!" Lieutenant Devon Parker at tactical roared.

"Impact in 34…33…32…"

The turbolaser emplacements that hadn't already exploded shot loose of the asteroids and swooped toward the trio of ships. "Brace yourself!" Revan roared. Phiran and Juhani raised their hands, attempting to stop the incoming projectiles, but it was too late. Just before they collided with the ships, each let out a final burst of fire, directed at key points, like the bridge…

Revan grabbed Juhani and Phiran and threw all three of them into a pit station just as a round of turbolaser fire hit the viewscreen. They shattered, exposing the bridge to the cold vacuum of space. Consoles exploded and monitor screens shattered. Lieutenant Parker attempted to grab hold of Meyers, but both were sucked into the vacuum of space. Their screams were lost in the emptiness of space. Opila and HK took a running leap and dived after the pair, but it was too late for the crewmen. Undeterred, the two allowed themselves to float silently and undetected toward the _Predator_…

The armored bulkheads slammed into position, but not before half of the bridge crew was lost. "Damage report!" Phiran barked, blood streaming out of his nose and forehead.

"Main power is at 50%...our shields have failed completely! Weapons systems are offline, and escape pod bays Numbers 3 and 5 are non-operational!"

"Asteroids…impact in 4…3…2…" The same ensign gasped before a long metal tube with spikes on the end smashed through the bulkhead and speared him.

"They're boarding us!" Revan realized, as a hatch at the end of the tube opened and Sith warriors began pouring out.

"Evacuate the bridge!" Phiran ordered the remaining personnel, who were all too happy to head for the stairs. Revan hesitated before Phiran motioned for him to follow suit. The rest of Revan's crew ran into the stairwell door.

[Enraged statement: Eat this Sith meatbags!] HK-47 lobbed three thermal detonators into the tube, before diving after the rest into the stairwell, sealing the door behind him.

Moments later, the bridge exploded, taking the Sith boarding party with it. But all over the ship, other ramming rods had breached the hull, unleashing waves of Sith warriors and troopers.

* * *

The _Devoltar_ was not completely helpless though, for an auxiliary command center was located deep within the more heavily armored stern of the ship. It was here that Revan and the others regrouped.

"We're taking heavy casualties!" Twi'lek commander Petra reported to Phiran. His image flickered for a moment.

"Clear the interference." Phiran calmly told a technician. Moments later, the holo-projector returned to normal. They could see Petra and his men squatting behind a barricade in what appeared to be a double-storied corridor.

"The Sith have overrun three of our checkpoints in the last ten minutes!" Petra said through gritted teeth before two bolts hit him in the chest. Luckily, his personal shield unit was on, but too many blaster shots absorbed into it finally shorted out the shield emitter. "We need Jedi support!"

"Jedi Enogawa, I suggest you hurry. Petra's barricade is all that prevents them from reaching the circuit bays and armory!" Phiran said hurriedly to another hologram of a team of four heavily-armored Jedi wielding double-bladed lightsabers running down a corridor. Another image showed a bird's-eye-view of Petra's barricade outpost and the surrounding corridors, and the four blue blips representing Enogawa's team began approaching the firefight at a much faster pace.

"The Sith troopers are creating an impenetrable wall of blasterfire." Phiran cursed "There's no way we're going to drive them back."

"Wait!" Rohlan cried out "Do we still have control of the hangars?"

"For the moment…" Phiran grumbled.

"That's all the time I need. Listen; tell your men to go onboard the _Glory of Cathar_ and to take the large black crates in the cargo hold and get them here." Rohlan said urgently.

Phiran didn't argue; he didn't have any other options at the moment.

"What's on your mind?" Revan asked curiously.

Rohlan smiled. "What do you know of the properties of _beskar_?"

"So you sent my men to gather…_metal plates_?" Phiran asked, eyebrows raised.

"Not metal plates." Rohlan pried open a crate and removed one of the elongated hexagon pieces of metal. On the back were straps to place one's arms in.

"They're shields!" Revan realized.

"_Beskar_ iron is much more durable than durasteel or any other metal." Rohlan explained to a skeptical Phiran "Equip your men with this stuff, and you should be able to drive back the Sith troopers easy. Also…" He indicated round holes in each shield "They're for placing your blaster muzzle through."

"I really can't see this working, but then again, we don't have much choice…" Phiran said.

* * *

The Sith troopers didn't know what was happening. One moment, they were about to breach the armory, the next, they were running for their lives. The soldiers attempting to prevent them from breaching the barricade fell back, and the armory doors opened to reveal two squads of Torrent elite forces crouching behind metal shields, _which were immune to blasterfire_. Those Sith that didn't run were bashed aside by the shields.

Just as the Sith passed through a blast door, four Jedi leaped out from behind the two front shields and began slicing them apart. They didn't stop pursuing them until they reached the sight of the second breach. The Sith clambered back into the boarding tube inside the ram and once they were in the shuttles concealed at the larger base of the ram, they took off for the _Predator_. But the Torrent's luck could only go so far.

"The Sith managed to slice our security grid before they left!" Commander Petra's hologram growled to Phiran. "We're sealed in the breach section until we can cut through the doors, which could take hours!"

"What about lightsabers? There's four Jedi in there with you." Revan asked. Phiran glared at him.

"This ship's internal defenses were meant to stop Sith. What do you think our blast doors are made up of, Styrofoam?

"They're phrik, and it's going to take a long time to cut through them using only plasma torches." Petra sighed "Looks like you'll have to find another way to get the Sith off the ship."

* * *

**Breach Section 07**

"All quiet here boys…" The lead Sith commander grinned inside of his helmet as he disembarked from the boarding tube hatch.

"You see, that's where you're wrong. There's the background noise of pipes and the engines running, and then there's your obnoxiously annoying voice disrupting the peace." Two swipes of a lightsaber and the commander's head fell one way, his blaster-wielding arm another, and the rest of his body the other way. Revan glanced at the two smoking burn marks on the wall behind him and whistled.

"Getting slow old man…" He muttered to himself before tossing a couple of thermal detonators and some frag grenades into the tube before sealing it in a bubble of Force energy. The resulting force from the explosion couldn't go into the ship, so it was instead forced back into the narrow confinements of the boarding tube, right into the two shuttles concealed in the base. Another ram shattered, the explosion short-lived but loud…that is, if you could hear in space.

* * *

"That's two breach areas secured so far." Revan reported to Phiran once he returned to the commander center.

"Great, we just got, I don't know, a gazillion more to go..." The entire room shook, throwing everyone off of their feet "Someone better tell me what the hell that was!"

"The asteroids...it looks like they're breaking loose of the ramming rods…All crew, brace yourselves!" The asteroids broke apart into chunks, bashing into the hull and crushing entire sections while ripping open others.

"I think the worst is over…" Revan began. Suddenly, he sensed the men standing outside guarding the door lower their weapons. "Something's wrong…" His hand went to _Mantle of the Force_, and he brought it up, just as the armored doors opened to reveal a squad of Sith troopers.

The other inhabitants of the room pulled out blasters and lightsabers before Phiran cried out "Stop!" The two most foremost Sith troopers held the struggling Hudrow and a female Torrent Jedi, who had Force-repelling cuffs on. Behind them, Revan could see three more captive Jedi and Jarael.

"Put down your weapons!" The Sith captain snarled at Revan. Revan didn't move. Neither did the rest of the auxiliary bridge crew. The Sith captain sighed and nodded to one of his soldiers. Without warning, he put a bullet through the female Jedi's temple.

"NOOOO!" Phiran roared and dived for the captain before Revan intercepted him. He shook his head, nodding toward Zayne Carrick who had already deactivated his lightsaber upon seeing Jarael.

"We surrender. There's no need for any more violence…" Revan said calmly to the Sith captain before removing his blasters from their holsters and placing them on the table before dropping _Mantle of the Force_ and _Heart of the Guardian_ on the ground. Phiran growled and removed the power cell from his lightsaber before handing it to a Sith trooper. Revan glanced over to where T3 sat silent and unnoticed in the corner, his blaster appendage pointed at the Sith captain before shaking his head and motioning for T3 to stay out of sight.

One of the Sith moved over to the communications station and pressed a button. On the main holo-display table, the image of Darth Acheron appeared. She was sitting in a black throne, a smile of victory plastered on her face.

"Revan…you should have surrendered when you had the chance."

"Yah, but you know how I find annoying you much more fun." Revan chuckled, as a pair of restraints were placed on his arms. Behind Acheron, he thought he could see two familiar outlines silently approaching a young man in black on her left. "So, I take it that is your apprentice?"

"Yes, do you like him? His name is Darth Feran." The young man raised his hood and flashed a pair of yellow eyes at Revan, who looked at him skeptically.

"Looks a little young to be your lover Acheron."

"Ahh, your lies and mockery amuse me. But then again, you should know all there is to know about masters and their pupils and lovers…considering how things went with you and Bastila."

"What can I say? But at least my taste is restricted to those my own age." Acheron hissed and opened her mouth to say something when suddenly, Feran yelped.

[Statement: Kindly remove yourself from that chair and put your hands where I can see them. Threat: I will blast this young man's brains out if you don't. Unnecessary statement: Then again, I might just do that for fun.]

[You may want to do what my "friend" asks.] Opila growled, revealing a remote in his metal fingers. [Now, order your men to leave the Torrent vessels and return to your ships. Then you will allow us to leave the nebula safely.] The pair must have snuck onboard the _Predator_ after being pulled into space.

"Or what exactly?" Acheron chuckled, a little nervous with a blaster pressed to her apprentice's temple. "There are plenty of replacement apprentices in the Empire."

[True, but you'd need to be alive to find one.] Opila retorted [Activate exterior camera 54-AC9.] When a nervous technician did, the image showed a blinking metal object attached to the hull.

[We have nineteen other devices placed on other strategic locations on your ship. If you do not comply with our demands, this ship will become space junk in a matter of seconds.]

"Yes, but don't forget, I still have your master and friends captive-"

"That's what you think!" Revan decided it was time to stop watching and start acting. He kicked out at a Sith trooper, and began telekinetically depressing the buttons on the remote he held, succeeding in shocking himself a few times before his cuffs went _click_ and he was free.

T3 leaped out of a corner, all weapons appendages out and waving around. Bursts of fire, electricity, blaster bolts, pulse beams, and much more tore through a fair amount of Sith troopers before they forced T3 back behind cover. But by then, Revan had retrieved his lightsabers and was among them.

Taking the remote from another Sith, Revan unlocked the cuffs of the rest of the bridge crew, who began attacking their until-recently-Sith-captors with their fists and the cuffs.

The squad that had taken control of the auxiliary bridge had been sufficient to deal with a hostage situation, but not against a _very angry_ bunch of Jedi. Revan had to pity the two Sith troopers holding Jarael hostage once Zayne was on them.

[Now…] Opila said [Acheron, my comrade and I will take young Feran with us to the shuttle bay. You may follow us if you wish, but if one shot is fired or one lightsaber is activated, you'll find Feran with slightly less brain matter than what little he started with. Oh, and you there, put those stun cuffs on the lady here.]

"You will pay for this!" Acheron hissed as the Sith soldier winced and put the stun cuffs on her, apologizing profusely before she kicked him into a console and he was knocked out. Meanwhile, onboard the _Devoltar_, the Sith troopers were escorted to the breach areas while teams of Jedi disconnected the boarding tubes from the three ships.

All along the way to the shuttle bay, HK and Opila, back-to-back with HK facing the rear and the squad of Sith troopers and warriors following them, blaster still pressed to the sweaty Feran's head.

[Revan, we've reached the shuttle bay. Prepare for a hasty departure.] Opila reported. He indicated a recently fueled and heavily armored shuttle to a dock worker [Unlock the docking clamps from that one.] The dock worker hastily moved to do Opila's bidding when he aimed his blaster at him.

As the shuttle drew near to the catwalk loading ramp, Opila flicked his left hand, a movement barely noticed by anyone except for HK. The shuttle's stern boarding ramp hissed open.

[Statement: Nice seeing you Sith! Rhetorical Request: Don't forget to write!] With that, HK threw Feran forward. The Sith apprentice stumbled into the Sith and HK and Opila made their move. While Opila punched the dock worker, sending him flying over the catwalk railing, HK dived into the shuttle and began typing in the launch codes.

Opila activated his lightsabers and began deflecting blasterfire from the ramp of the shuttle, which was moving away from the catwalk before diving inside. The boarding ramp hissed shut, but not before Feran saw something small and silver roll down the boarding ramp. "The remote for the mines!" He cried "Someone grab it!" Just then, the shuttle blasted off into space.

"Tractor beam control, go go go!" Phiran roared, as the Devoltar's crew used what little power they had left and tractored the shuttle inside the forward hangar bay while preparing to jump to lightspeed. As soon as the shuttle was in, the trio of vessels disappeared into hyperspace.

"NO!" Feran roared as the remote hit the hangar floor and activated. He winced and shielded himself, waiting for the end. Indeed, the lights went out and he felt the ship rock.

"Uhh…sir?" Feran opened his eyes. The lights were flickering, but soon, they returned to normal.

"It appears that the mines were duds." Feran sighed. Suddenly, he heard Acheron's voice emanating from his comlink as if she was beside him. Her voice was filled with fury and embarrassment.

"_Not exactly_…go over to a monitor and look." Feran was puzzled, but complied. On the screen, written neatly in Aurebesh, was a simple message:

-There once was a woman named Acheron.-

-Who believed she was better than men-

-Till one day a Jedi named Revan came-

-And beat her again and again-

This was followed by a short video of Revan and Phiran singing this way out of tune, along with a bunch of other Jedi and Torrent members. The song, set on repeat, played throughout the entire ship.

"Shut this trash off!" Acheron hissed to a lieutenant, who gulped and frantically tried to turn off the message.

"Uh, no can do ma'am…those "mines" hacked our systems. The message appears to be set on repeat for…a long time."

"Exactly…how…long?"

"Uh…three day-_GASP-ACCCKKKK!_" Far away in hyperspace, a certain Prodigal Knight and an old white-haired man were laughing their heads off with the rest of the crew.

* * *

Please R & R!


	25. Chapter 25: The Darkness Within

**I will take a short break from posting chapters due to mid-term exams, but please continue reviewing so I can have reader feedback and get suggestions.**

**Any suggestions on the culture and technology of the Semakhi are appreciated. I think of them as an aquatic species, and are excellent architects and their amphibian nature should come out in what they create.**

**Also, I will allow fans to create a character of their own. Each submission will be submitted as a review. The length must be at least 2 paragraphs.**

**The guidelines are:**

**-It must be a member of the Torrent or a Semakhi**

**-It cannot be a Shard like Opila.**

**-I like creative names, so think hard!**

**-It can be any gender-Include a physical description, traits, and personality.**

**-Describe their attire- Who a person is and their personality comes out in what they wear**

**-Include a short bio that is 1-2 paragraphs but separate from the description. In it, you should include if the child was born on a starship or on Semakh, their specilization if a Jedi (i.e., Sentinel, Shadow, etc.), and also if a Jedi, any Force powers that they specialize in; any personal issues, and whether or not they travel with anybody.**

**-The age must be between the mid-teens and late 20s.**

**-The character must have his/her own personal ship. I personally like giving my characters droid friends, so consider it, but don't feel compelled to do so.**

**-The character can be a Jedi. If so, then the possible lightsaber colors are: Gold, Black, Silver, Orange, or White. The lightsaber can be regular, double-bladed, a shoto, a crossguard, or like the one that Master Qual used (A lightsaber staff).**

**-The character I find most interesting will be introduced into the story as a semi-minor character. I will coordinate with the author about the details and such.**

**-The deadline ends on February 5th, 2011.**

**-Submissions may be changed, but only twice.**

**-If you don't know where to start, check the reviews and see what others have created!**

* * *

**In orbit of a unknown planet**

"So…this is Semakh?" Revan wasn't very impressed with the sight he was seeing. All he could see were storm clouds.

"This is the beginning of the dry season." Se-ril explained "You should be glad. We haven't had a rain this good in 50 years." In the upper stratosphere, Revan could see lightning flashing repeatedly.

"So…how long do these storms usually last?" Revan asked curiously.

"The longest one was for 6 weeks, but that was followed by another storm shortly afterward."

"Wait…this is the dry season, correct? Then why does it look like Dxun on a bad day?"

"Semakh is primarily a water world." Phiran explained "During the wet season, the waters flood the lower lands. During the dry season, the waters recede, but it seemed that I was still up to my waist in water during the middle of the dry season the first time I can remember going outside. And then of course, there's the winter season. You should see how high the snow gets."

"We're receiving a comm signal from Desmarin." A young communications officer reported.

"Put it through." A holo-projector popped open and an image of a graceful Semakhi in flowing robes appeared.

"May the waters keep you safe Achten Se-ril Mak." She said in a calming voice.

"Shenta Ma. And may you swim for eternity Achten Le-bin Chas." Se-ril said, bowing two times before bringing his hand to his forehead and resting it there for a moment.

"Who is that?" Revan said out of the corner of his mouth.

"That's the City Administrator and his great-grandmother." Phiran whispered back "So show some respect."

"His great-grandmother?" Revan's voice was slightly louder, and it was enough for Le-bin to hear him.

"Ah yes, this must be the new one. You are surprised by my appearance?" Le-bin asked, folding her arms in a very human-like manner. When Revan shuffled behind Phiran and pushed him forward, Le-bin smiled. "We Semakhi are very long-lived. But I desire to see you in person Se-ril. There are pressing matters at hand. We're deactivating the planetary shield as I speak."

"Thank you Le-bin." Phiran smiled "Pilot, prepare for planetary descent."

"So I take it Achten is your clan name?" Revan asked Se-ril as they entered the cloud layer.

"Yes. I am the most honored among my clan. Mak means leader in our language. Very few Semakhi have traveled beyond our system, and I am the only one of my clan to do so since the Torrent was formed a thousand years ago." Se-ril replied. He gripped a seat as the ship shook. Through the viewports, Revan caught sight of two manta-ray-like vessels gliding alongside the ship.

"They're helping us land, due to our current…unpreferred state." Phiran said to Revan, glancing at the ruined consoles and half-repaired forward half of the bridge. It was amazing that the bridge tower didn't break under the strain of descent. The crew only had time to reseal the torn bridge during a quick stop before they had to move again for fear that the Sith might disable the virus that they planted and follow.

"Breaking the cloud layer in 3…2…1…clear!" There were audible gasps of wonder as the trio of Torrent vessels and their Semakhi escorts flew above the landscape. Revan could see large trees sticking out of the water and beautiful rounded structures sitting on lily-pad-like platforms. They were connected by walkways with half-circle glass dome ceilings that protected them from the elements. Some walkways were underwater, and Revan could see Semakhi walking around.

Ahead, the web of structures began to grow, until they approached a tall sandstone-colored building inside a large glass dome. They approached a metal structure built into the side of the dome, in which a large portal opened by what appeared to be a mooring station.

Revan was amazed by the city of Desmarin, even though it was pouring rain. He and the rest of the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ and Juhani's crew sat inside the _Hawk_ as it flew into the portal.

"Welcome home Se-ril." Le-bin smiled as the group disembarked from their vessel. Se-ril smiled and gave Le-bin a hug before turning grim and handing her a datapad filled with the info they had stolen from the Sith base.

"This information is troubling." Le-bin frowned "I will take this to the analysts. Perhaps they can decrypt the information you could not. But from what you already decrypted, the Sith have progressed far more into their plan then we originally thought."

Se-ril nodded. "Come," he said to Revan and the others "I'll show you the city."

* * *

Zaalbar had to act quickly. The screen of leaves below them would prevent the Trandoshans from detecting them, but who knew what sort of weaponry the Trandoshans had?

Zaalbar growled and glanced at Ashata. She armed her bowcaster and loosened the straps tying her swords to her back. Zaalbar withdrew Bacca's Ceremonial Blade and held up his hand. The Trandoshans grew closer. Now, Zaalbar could see their torchlight through the branches below. He nodded to Ashata, Shyrrer, Marrocca, and the other members of their scouting party before unclipping himself from the rope and jumping on top of a Trandoshan scout.

With three mighty battle cries, the other Wookiees leaped down. A shower of burning leaves hit the trail floor, because some Wookiees were firing before they even cleared the branch layer.

The majority of the Trandoshan scouting party turned around and made a break for the opposite direction. While most of the Wookiees pursued them, Zaalbar and a few stayed behind with three very unhappy Trandoshans.

Lifting the Trandoshan by the throat, Zaalbar walked over to the edge of one of the many rainwater lakes that were scattered across the forest floor and tied the Trandoshan's feet to a couple of vines hanging over the water. Then, he traced the vines back to their roots and cut them, causing the struggling lizard to fall headfirst into the water. Zaalbar pulled on the vines, dragging the Trandoshan out before tying the vine ends to a trunk.

"_Talk_." He growled softly. The Trandoshan hissed and attempted to scratch Zaalbar. In response, Zaalbar took another vine and tied the Trandoshan's arms to his sides.

"_Talk_." Zaalbar repeated. The Trandoshan smirked.

[[_Why?_]] _**Splash**_. Zaalbar let go of the vine and the Trandoshan's head was submerged in the water. Bubbles began popping up all around. After deciding that it was enough, Zaalbar pulled on the vine and the Trandoshan was lifted sputtering from the water.

[[_Is this how you get off, you sick little fur-_]] _**Splash**_. Zaalbar let go of the vine, and waited a few more seconds than last time before pulling the Trandoshan out of the water.

"_I'd start talking if I were you lizard-brain_." Zaalbar growled.

[[_Technically, we do have-_]] Zaalbar reached for the rope [[_Alright, alright! I'll talk._]]

"_How many Trandoshans are there in your party? What are your strengths, your armaments?_" Ashata asked.

[[_We have six dropships and a full base built around them.]] _The Trandoshan began _[[Our full complement of warriors is around 300, and we're assembling vehicles and slave cages._]]

"_What else?_" Zaalbar asked "_Who's the commander?_"

[[_Strylssk. He has taken many Wookiee slaves and wears their pelts as-_]] Zaalbar dunked him again. [[_**Gasp**__. He's leading an advanced party to a basket lift we discovered._]]

"_How many in the party?_" Shyrrer asked

[[_I don't know!_]] _**Splash**_ [[_Fifteen_!]]

"_Thanks_." Zaalbar nodded to Marrocca who motioned for the majority of the Wookiees to return to Rwookrrorro and warn them about the Trandoshans. Then he, Marrocca, Ashata, Shyrrer, and three other Wookiees began running in the direction of the basket lift.

[[_Hey…you're going to cut me down, right? Hey! You can't just leave me here hanging like this…You're going to leave me here?_]]

* * *

**Semakh**

**Desmarin**

**Revan's apartment**

It wasn't that different from the _Ebon Hawk_. Warm quilts, homey beds, all of your friends with you, Dustil's obnoxiously loud foghorn snoring…

"For the love of god Dustil!" Revan roared, depressing the comm button for Dustil's room "Sleep with your head upright or do something! Just let the rest of us get some sleep!"

There was the sound of grunting, some swearing, and what could have been someone shoving a pillow into the comm. Then, Dustil went back to bed, his snores less obnoxious, but still loud.

Groaning, Revan got up and grabbed one of the robes he had taken with him from the Temple. Throwing it over his pajamas, he pressed the door button and it opened with a _hiss_. Stepping into the dimly-lit sand-colored corridor, Revan walked over to the glass wall and sat down, meditating.

He extended his senses to the entire population of Desmarin. Se-ril was speaking in hushed tones with someone who Revan could distinguish as his intended/betrothed. T3, T2, and 3C were upgrading each other to the current Torrent specs. HK was recharging with Aurek and Besh.

Outside, he could sense a firaxa shark gliding through the water. So, they did exist out here. Just beyond the window, a young Semakhi was taking swimming lessons from his mother, following close behind her as she glided gracefully through the sea. Revan opened his eyes and smiled as the young Semakhi waved to him before following his mother.

But in another section of the city, Revan felt something different. Something…dark. He visualized it as a dark clump of Force energy, emanating from where the _Devoltar_ was being repaired. Suddenly, it shifted, latching itself onto a servicing vehicle that pulled away from the hull and began returning to the main building. Strange, it felt like there wasn't one source of the darkness, but more like…

"Five."

Revan gasped, and a disturbing thought came to mind. Reaching deeper, he submerged himself in the Force, extending his senses into every nook and cranny, everywhere, behind him…

Silently and swiftly, Revan Force-flipped backwards onto the wall and leaped forward, hands outstretched. He collided with something mid-leap and both were sent toppling to the ground. The unseen object shimmered and Revan saw a red bar of plasma jut out of the air. "Oh shit…" Revan cursed.

The Sith swung at Revan, who swerved to the side before chopping his hand on what looked like the attacker's spine. Next, he flung his fist into the attacker's stomach, knocking the air out of him before bringing the fist up in an upper cut to the man's chin. Snarling the man whipped out a combat knife and jabbed it in Revan's shoulder. Gasping in pain, Revan pulled out the blade and Force-shoved the man back before flinging the knife at him, the knife burying itself up to the hilt in the man's chest. Tearing off a strip of cloth from the man's arm, Revan tied it around his wound and Force-called the man's lightsaber into his hand before walking back into the apartment and retrieving _Mantle of the Force_ and _Heart of the Guardian_.

* * *

Elsewhere, Le-bin was finishing up a report on the newly discovered data when she heard the door hiss open. She turned around, but no one was there. Sensing danger, she moved her hand slowly to a drawer and pulled out two metal gauntlets which she tied to her wrists. Withdrawing a short phrik staff with a knotted end, she moved cautiously towards the door, glancing all around her. She never bothered to look up.

* * *

Revan paced impatiently as the transport car moved silently along its tube track toward the Administration Hub. This area of the city were still completely submerged, and through the transparisteel glass sphere that was the car, Revan could see the sea going on as if nothing was happening. Well, it didn't affect them. He sat down on one of the curved fur-covered benches and sighed. The Semakhi usually walked around barefoot, so the circular car floor was covered in soft material, which also repelled dirt and grime from the boots of non-Semakhi.

Finally, he heard the car door ding as it slowed down beside a long underwater docking tube. This wasn't the closest stop to where he was sure to intercept the Sith, but he knew that their aim would be taking out Administrator Le-bin, Phiran and the rest of the Torrent Council, and the Semakhi Elders.

He hadn't had time to search the other areas of Desmarin through the Force, nor the other cities where the two other Torrent ships had landed. For all he knew, the Sith could have infiltrated them as well. All he knew was that there were at least five stealth-cloaked Sith on the loose and no one knew it.

Revan hadn't had time to retrieve his armor and cloak, nor wake up his companions, so he was on his own. However, at the first armory supply room he saw, he equipped himself with a dark brown lightweight tunic, a grey durasteel breastplate, and two silver phrik gauntlets, as well as a blaster pistol now strapped to his waist along with the three lightsabers.

As Revan moved down the row of large columns running down either side of the massive Meditation Forum, he clung to the shadows, watching the air around a large computer terminal station in the center of the massive room shimmer. Not wanting to wait and see what the Sith was doing with the computer terminal, Revan Force-leaped out from the shadows. Blood pumping and sweat dripping down his forehead, Revan swung out at the man's waist, disrupting his stealth field generator before bringing one of his lightsabers forward into the man's back and activating the blade. The man fell to the ground, screaming.

"Alright, you're not dying…yet. I didn't hit any major organs." Revan informed the man. The Sith just kept on screaming "Oh for crying out loud, shut up!" The Sith clamped a hand to his mouth before nodding.

"Did you stay onboard our vessels camouflaged?" Revan asked. The man nodded.

"Were you trying to hack Desmarin's computer network?" Another nod.

"Are there more than five Sith Acolytes walking around the city?" The man hesitated before Revan grabbed his combat knife and slammed it into his open palm.

"Jesus Christ! Yes, oh god, there are at least a couple hundred elite Sith Acolytes that were deployed in secret while our forces were forced to leave your vessels. Our mission was to infiltrate the city and…" Suddenly, a red blast of energy hit him in the chest and ended his life.

Revan whirled around, activating both the man's red lightsaber and the red lightsaber of the Sith he had knocked out earlier and batted away the next two bolts. From his quick assessment of the situation, there were at least three snipers on the upper balcony walkway that encircled the rows of columns.

Batting aside another bolt, Revan Force-hurled both blades at the column next to their sniping position. They cut a large chunk of marble from the column, which fell and crushed one Sith before he had time to react. Revan let go of his control on the lightsabers, but regretted it when he saw the two remaining Sith drop their rifles and pick up the lightsabers, now each wielding two deadly bars of plasma.

* * *

Dustil awoke, groggy and tired. Revan wasn't yelling at him about his snoring…but he couldn't sense Revan's presence in the other room. Suddenly, Zayne Carrick and Jarael burst into his room. "Oye!" Dustil cried out, throwing on a shirt "Ring the doorbell next time!"

"Did you see Revan anywhere?" Jarael asked.

"He yelled at me about three hours ago to shut up, and then that was it. Why?"

"He's not in his room. Phiran said that someone used the transport car system to travel from this building to the Administration Hub. Also, there's a very unhappy man tied up in the security office." Dustil growled.

"He's like a Sith magnet. Well, what are we waiting for?"

"For us to regain our connection to the computer network." Phiran said, walking into the room dressed in oil-covered overalls and with a multi-tool in his hand.

"Someone cut all access to the Main Databanks. Every single sub-section of the city is currently isolated from the others. The transport cars, sub bays, even the hangars are all shut down."

"So you're saying…we're cut off?" Dustil asked.

"Well, not exactly." Phiran pulled out a datapad and showed them a schematic of the city. "As you may have seen while we were flying in, there are pedestrian hallways that run between buildings and form a web connecting every single building in the city. Unfortunately…" The door hissed open and a sopping wet Semakhi walked in.

"…whoever the Sith have as a slicer managed to get our auto-defence systems online." Said Se-ril as he flopped into the room, dripping water "Phiran, mark off trying to reach the Administration Hub from the outside. I couldn't even get the outer hatch open."

"Then why are you wet?" Dustil asked, indicating the dark stain on the floor around Se-ril.

"Automatic release system. It fills the outer airlock room with water before you exit the airlock, which normally would open by itself, and if the manual crank isn't working, then the Sith activated the mag-lock." Se-ril explained "It basically seals the hatch with a magnetic ring running around the edge of the lock. Very powerful. You don't want to be caught climbing through a door when the mag-lock is activated."

"Why not cut our way through?" Juhani asked as she came in through the door, clutching a hyperspanner and an arc torch "I'm all set."

Se-ril looked at her in horror before knocking the still-ignited ark torch from her hand "Are you insane? The walls of the rim corridors and the tube passages are all made of transparisteel. Slightly stronger than most windows, it may be, but try cutting through it with a plasma torch, and you flood the entire building!"

"But back to the corridors." Phiran cut in "The auto-turrets are online, and the Sith probably hacked their targeting sensors. Defense droids have been activated, and were patrolling the corridors the last time I checked. Looks like their programming was hacked as well. We're just lucky that they didn't activate the floor lightning field or the gas vents. Someone cut them off from accessing those and the rest of the system."

"That had to be Revan." Zayne put in "But they still have control over the systems that they already unlocked?"

"Yep, but unfortunately, in the process of cutting off their slicing of the Main Databanks, I believe Revan managed to press or cause the slicer to press something that sent the entire city into emergency lockdown. Revan also accidently locked the interior doors on their current status, so I'm sending my men to set up checkpoints along all of the doors leading to the tube network. The only place to turn off the lockdown is in the Central Data Core in the Administration Hub, and that requires facial and retinal recognition by either the Administrator or a Council member."

"The latter being you." Jarael nodded.

"Precisely. And unless we can shut off the autoturrets and the droids, it won't be easy getting to the Administration Hub…"

* * *

As far as Revan could tell, few if any of the sleeping inhabitants of Desmarin knew what was happening around them. In fact, the only sign that he had found of the Sith's infiltration besides the men he had killed was a two-meter wide hole in a wall where a circle-shaped door had been, the door now imbedded in the opposite wall. Recognizing it as some sort of computer access passage by the markings on the door, Revan climbed through into the dark passage. It was cramped and the red lights pulsated, eerily illuminating things one moment before flushing them into darkness the next.

His heart was pounding as he activated _Mantle of the Force_, his fear illuminated in its blue glow. The inward-sloping walls of the passage seemed to close in on him. The support frame that lined the walls and ceiling in skeleton fashion seemed to be alive, and Revan half-expected a Sith to jump out from behind one, before reassuring himself that the Sith couldn't, because the support beams were too thin for a Sith to hide behind.

As he came to a junction, a small square room that led off into two different passages, his foot made contact with something rounded and small. Picking it up, Revan recognized it as a dispenser vial, like what one would insert into a hypo-needle. This one was different, and the cap had a screw top, indicating it would screw into something a little bit bigger than a hypo-needle. He peered into the contents of the vial. What looked like some sort of red-black fluid sloshed around inside of the vial, but Revan couldn't tell what it was. The fluid was emitting a field of unrest and danger in the Force, so Revan knew it had to be some sort of toxin or chemical agent.

Pocketing the vial, he peered at the two passageways through the Force. In the black-and-white spectrum, he saw red footprints leading down the right passage, along with some smudging, indicating that something heavy had been dragged. Intrigued, Revan glanced around the junction. A number of minor components and spare parts from wall consoles and cabinets were missing, as well as a crate, which Revan could tell by the disturbed pile of crates in a corner. Hmm…keypads, wiring, power rods, air filters, console screens, an empty box, the backpack of an environmental suit, a vial of some sort of chemical agent, and an air quality monitor…no way. They weren't…they wouldn't…they _couldn't_…_Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!_

* * *

**Bastila's apartment, Coruscant**

Bastila sighed as she woke up, wrapping her robe around her before proceeding to the kitchen.

[Would you like me to make caf, mistress?] Her housekeeping droid DT-4C asked.

"No thanks DeeTee. I'll make it myself." Bastila said, before beginning to grind the beans into the dispenser.

[Very well, I will resume making breakfast. You have two new comm messages: 1) Rear Admiral Onasi is going to be away for two weeks while he leads a small armada to deal with pirate attacks on the rehabilitation efforts of Devaron. 2) Your mother is doing better and will be arriving shortly after her checkup to help with chores. If you will excuse the personal addition, I do not see why my skills are not enough for-]

"You're a great housekeeper DeeTee, but there's only so much that a housekeeping droid can do. Some things require more help than that of the other droids in the house." Bastila explained, inhaling deeply as DeeTee cracked an egg into a bowl and began adding chopped nerf steak and Bothan wild onions into the mixture before dumping the omelet into a pan.

She moved to the small ornate metal table, and sat down at the seat next to the head. Usually, the man of the house would sit at the head of the table and his wife would sit to his left, but even though Revan wasn't here, she still wanted to respect his wishes, and the Ulgo family crest still emblazed on the table was a constant painful reminder of his absence.

[Here you are mistress.] DeeTee trilled in her motherly feminine voice, tipping the omelet onto a plate and sliding it and a cup of blue milk in front of Bastila. She nodded in appreciation when suddenly, DeeTee froze.

"What is it?" Bastila asked.

[Unknown. There is someone who I do not recognize in my databanks as a member of the Jedi Order or a registered Republic officer outside the door. No, make that four. One of them is holding another by the neck and another other is reaching for the door comm-]

"_Bastila, would you be so kind as to open the door so I can put down this worthless carcass of a Twi'lek?_" This was followed by more cursing from the magnificent Canderous Ordo. A round of applause from everyone.

"I'll get it." Bastila sighed, grunting as she eased herself up and went over to the door. As it opened with a _hiss_, she had barely enough time to see a small orbital patrol craft sitting on the visitor landing pad before the grimy armored figure of Canderous Ordo storm in, followed by a red-armored Mandalorian and finally, a grimy half-dead Jedi Knight, who she was surprised to recognize as Colin Cel-Drem, nephew of Rohlan Wann and thought-to-be-dead member of the investigations team into the destruction of the Dorin enclave. Standing by the patrol craft was an angry Bothan Jedi Guardian standing watch over two young sibling Jedi Sentinels. She did not look pleased at her assignment of babysitter.

"Put him down here Kelborn. Sorry 'bout the dirt Spoiled P." Canderous commented, using the old tormenting nickname for her. He glanced sheepishly at the tracks of dirt in the freshly-vacuumed carpet and the angry glares of the two sentry/cleaning droids who had just finished the section and seemed ready to open fire with their concealed wrist blasters at the two Mandalorians.

"Right, guess who this sack of meat is." Canderous growled, pulling the bag off the struggling Twi'lek's head to reveal the half-scarred face of…

"Griff Vao?"

"Do you know any other weak-kneed, traitorous brother, suck-up lowlife?" Canderous growled, removing his helmet and spitting at Griff "But I'll give him credit for this: Somehow, he got wind that Mission was in trouble and found us, but then we had to save his lousy ass from the thugs he got the info from and didn't pay, so now I've got three infuriated Exchange sub-organizations angry at me for helping him and this ungrateful louse."

"Griff, do you have anything to say on the matter?" Bastila asked, folding her arms and staring at Griff like an angry professor.

"No Master Jedi. The Mandalorian is correct; I came to him for protection…but also…god, I can't say it…to ask for his…"

"His what?" Canderous growled, arming and disarming his rifle in a threatening manner.

"Your…your help. There, I said it. Happy?" Kelborn's response was that of a low guffaw before he began clutching his stomach from laughing so hard.

"Ehehehe…this Twi'lek's got more backbone than you think _**Mand'alor**_! Personally, I wouldn't give a damn about this _hut'uun_, but I think what those Exchange thugs told him was true, seeing as how mad they were. They don't get that mad when the info is false." Kelborn managed to say.

"Hold that thought…" Bastila said absentmindedly "DeeTee, get me the holo-projector. Patch me into the Rwookrrorro Council."

[At once Mistress.] DT-4C disappeared for a moment before returning with a small tapered disk, which he set on the living room table. [I have Chieftain Freyyr online…please wait…please wait…]

A spout of blue light shot out of the disk before it shimmered into the aged hunched frame of Freyyr. He growled a warm greeting to Bastila and Canderous. Next to the Wookiee in the hologram, a translator droid stepped up.

[The honorable Chieftain Freyyr extends his greetings to you, Jedi Shan and Warlord Ordo, saviors of the Wookiee race, and also extends his first greeting to the…most honorable son of the one who drove the Czerka scum off of Kashyyyk, and may he grow up to be just as fair and just as his father was to us.] The translator droid said.

Bastila's words were caught in her throat. "Thank you Chief Freyyr." She managed to get out "But there are more pressing matters at hand. Through several…"acquaintances", I have heard that Mission is in a state of trouble currently, correct?"

Freyyr roared and hung his head. [The mighty Freyyr expresses his outrage and shame for not preventing this devastating loss. Apparently, the young Vao convinced his son to go cave-diving with her one night, but as the young Chieftain Zaalbar was lowering her, she was set upon by Mykals and in his attempt to scare them away, Zaalbar accidently severed the rope holding her. Zaalbar heard her hit a subterranean lake, and a subsequent search by him and a search party found tracks leading into the Shadowlands. However, a small armada of Trandoshan vessels arrived a few days ago, and we can deduce that they are after Wookiee pelts to sell, so Zaalbar is leading a recon group to find Mission before the Trandoshans do-]

Another Wookiee ran into view, and whispered something urgently to Freyyr, who roared. [Oh dear…it appears the Trandoshans are preparing to launch a full scale assault on Rwookrrorro! Zaalbar has just obtained this information from a captive Trandoshan!]

Bastila quickly stood up straight "I know relations with the Republic are strained Chieftain Freyyr, but if you will allow, I can have a joint task force of Jedi and Republic forces arrive within three hours to assist you in repelling the Trandoshans."

Freyyr was silent for a moment, and then he turned to the unseen Council on his right. There was a short but loud debate, and after a few assertive barks by an unseen Wookiee, Freyyr turned back to Bastila and issured the Council's verdict. [Chieftain Freyyr says this: His people will be waiting on your arrival.]

* * *

**Desmarin**

**Maintenance Tunnel Network**

There was a rumor about a certain Dark Lord of the Sith. Rumor was that he, Darth Drear, had utilized Sith Alchemy to create a virus that would turn its victims into horrible monstrosities.

The Sith were renowned for their viruses and plagues, but when the dead were reanimating, when your opponent rises up, headless and with a gaping hole in his chest, then that's when you reevaluate your opinion of the Sith.

Revan was thinking this right now as he stumbled through the passage. He had put an end to the Necro-morph virus that he had encountered on Ziost, largely thanks to Zelka Forn. Forn, with the giant medical resources of Desmarin had created an aggressive counter-virus based on Se-ril's prototype and that of his Rakghoul Plague antidote. A stealth craft had then entered Ziost's orbit and released the counter-virus into the atmosphere. Within the hour, they intercepted transmissions from the base's garrison, saying that all of the experiments were dying, and that the virus samples had turned black and dried up.

Then there was the horrible Sith magic that could turn your own allies against you. And there was another that could de-evolve a person and turn them into a biomechanical hybrid. But Revan had a feeling that the vial he held was none of the above.

He stopped when he discovered a wide hole blown into the side of the tunnel. Flames were still erupting from gas pipelines and sparks were still flying, indicating that this was recent. But the footprints of the Sith went in both directions. Revan struggled for a moment before taking out a datapad, switching it to sketchpad mode, and drawing a large arrow sign pointing at the corridor ahead before placing it on the floor. Then he climbed through the hole and continued down that passage.

His footsteps echoed around him, hollow echoing noises. Ahead, two Sith troopers were standing guard. Not even breaking a stride, Revan barreled into them, lightsabers jutting out on either side. Their headless bodies fell to the ground and he kept on moving.

Ahead, small craters and splatters of blood marked where a one-sided skirmish had taken place. The Semakhi arm on the ground was still twitching as Revan ran over it. As he rounded a corner, he ran headlong into the main Sith party, situated in a security control room while two Sith were attaching the device they had created onto a vent grill.

Here, the light side of the Force was void, and the darkness swallowed Revan into its shadowy grasp. He thrived on it, _fed_ on it, basking in its power. He had crossed into it once before and was able to break free of its seductive grasp. Now he embraced it again, holding onto the one thing that bound his entire soul.

Revan's mind filled with thoughts of her, the secluded moments in the Jedi Temple, fighting back-to-back on countless worlds, her own internal struggles. Though they were far apart, their bond stretched lightyears to rejoin them. In that one moment, they were together, and Bastila poured her love for Revan into it. And Trask, though he did not have the ability to form a thought yet, unwittingly poured his own unconscious love for the father he would never meet into the bond.

The darkness cringed and Revan's mind howled in victory. It backed away, but was chained by the light of Revan's soul. His body glowed with the power of the entirety of the Force, bathing the entire room in light.

The foremost Sith commando hesitated before charging Revan. As if in slow motion, Revan saw the man charge him. Letting the Force guide him, Revan's arm shot up, a blur, and the man was enveloped by a ray of crackling light blue energy that picked him up and threw him against the wall, dead.

Revan roared, and more tendrils of energy shot out from his body. The Sith commandos screamed as the power overwhelmed them before falling to the floor, just like their fallen comrade.

* * *

In the pedestrian passageways, Phiran and the others were battling hard against their own defence droids, turrets, and elite Sith Acolytes. Phiran was ringed by two Sith Acolytes a several droids. Bleeding in five places, he was determined to go down fighting while cursing himself for ordering the attempt to retake the city. A Sith Acolyte blasted him with Force lightning and he fell to the ground. _Well, this is it…_ he thought as the Sith raised his lightsaber for the kill.

Suddenly, the far off Administration Building exploded with light in the Force. The droids screeched, electricity crackling over their bodies before shutting down. The turrets also shut down, some exploding from the power. But most shocking was the Sith.

The Sith Acolyte about to kill Phiran roared as his body seemed to fragment into thousands of flecks of darkness and disappear. In that moment, everyone on the planet, Force-sensitive or not, felt the Force explosion, and also who was at the heart of it. Revan's outburst sent shockwaves through the Force, the disturbances spanning the entire galaxy within a matter of seconds.

* * *

On Dromund Kaas, the Sith Emperor stirred and growled. He too had felt the immensity of the shockwave, and also who was responsible.

* * *

In her suite, Darth Acheron awoke and clutched her head, attempting to drive away the light side echo that filled it. "Revan…" She whispered.

* * *

Sitting in Council and mourning the loss of Master Kavar, the Jedi Council stiffened. "I sense a great disturbance in the Force…" Master Vrook gasped.

"The source of it…that's…" Master Vash managed to stutter.

* * *

Bastila sat in her apartment with Canderous and the others when she nearly fainted. "What is it?" Canderous asked in alarm, rushing over to help her. She pushed away his hand and managed to sit back up.  
"_I felt him_…" Bastila's eyes were glistening with tears, and she unconsciously placed her hand to her stomach.

* * *

As the power began to fade, Revan collapsed to the metal floor. As unconsciousness settled in, he managed one last outcry in the Force, aimed at one person. "_I'm coming for you_…" He growled softly before his head slumped to the floor.

* * *

"…I really doubt it…but enjoy your attempt…" The Emperor chuckled darkly. "Oh yes, this is going to get _very_ interesting…very interesting indeed…"

* * *

Please R & R!


	26. Chapter 26: The Butterfly Effect

The current time period is around 2 years after Revan left Republic space, for those who are confused. The Conclave on Katarr will be making an appearance in the near future.

Don't forget about the submissions!

We are now switching back to the Republic, and what's been going, and the focus will be on Carth, Bastila, etc. for the next two chapters.

This chapter is called the "Butterfly Effect" because of the theory: Step on a butterfly today and the whole future changes, mostly for the worse. Revan's actions in leaving the Republic, while for the greater good, resulted in the loss of a figure to rally to in both the Republic and the Jedi Order, and his abandonment of his lover and child.

* * *

Chapter 26

* * *

The Butterfly Effect

* * *

_"United, we represent a target. Divided, we will survive."_

**-Master Vandar's last words as Grand Master before the Jedi Order is disbanded**

* * *

Revan's eyes fluttered open before shutting tightly again as someone shone a bright light into them. "That's it boy. Wake up." Phiran chuckled, putting away the light and injecting Revan with a stim shot to help his mind clear.

"Ugh…my head." Revan groaned. "I have the worst killer headache."

"Well, that's to be expected. After all, you did vaporize two score of the Sith Emperor's elite assassins and created a disturbance in the Force so great that probably everything Force-sensitive in the known galaxy felt it. Even the non-Force-sensitives here on Semakh felt it. That was pretty powerful stuff back there." Se-ril said.

"Was anyone hurt in the Sith's attack?" Revan asked, fighting through waves of pain that threatened to overpower him. Opila came up and inserted a needle into the side of Revan's head before extracting some bloody fluid.

[Well, this is what comes from such a long-term exposure to such an immense amount of Force energy. The Force lightning in that outburst could have caused permanent blindness or even brain damage.] Opila inserted some drug vials into Revan's feeding tube. [These should help sooth up the inflammation behind your eyes.]

"And in response to your question, the guards and other hangar personnel that were stationed to the repairs on the _Devoltar_ are all alive, albeit most are still unconscious and some are missing a couple of fingers." Dustil said as he came in "This is the latest report from the Science Lab. They can't get much from the vial that we found with Revan. Most of it was contaminated in the explosion he caused and what's left is making our instruments go crazy. The chemical concentration in it is off the charts, as well as the amount of dark Force energy used in its creation. But they did manage to get something."

"What is it?" Revan asked, straining to get up before a sharp burst of pain went through his legs.

"It appears to be some sort of virus." Dustil explained "It induces extreme paranoia in the infected and causes their eyes to glow yellowish-red in the dark. As far as we can tell without actually testing it, the person infected may be able to tell that they've been infected, and can have brief periods of lunacy, but will snap back to their paranoid state within minutes. Early symptoms include excessive bleeding from the nose, foaming around the mouth, and minor but frequent headaches. Luckily, the virus can't last more than a week or so. The amount of energy needed to sustain the negative emotions and impulses for just a few seconds is massive, and we're still trying to figure out how they managed to pack so much of the dark side of the Force into one little vial."

Revan sighed and glanced over to the bed next to him. He was surprised to see Le-bin lying there, her forehead swathed in bandages and where it wasn't, blue-green blood coming from small cuts. One of her arms was in a sling. "What happened to her?" He asked.

"My great-grandmother was attacked by the Sith so they could use her keycard to gain access to the main databanks." Se-ril informed Revan "We're just lucky she didn't have the master keycard on her when she went to investigate a distraction the Sith set up."

"You should see the other guys." Phiran said dryly "In fact, they're the only Sith that you didn't disintegrate, and we think that's because they were already beat up and knocked out and therefore their minds weren't consciously connected to the Force like the others, seeing as Le-bin gave them quiet a beating."

Revan frowned "I'm confused…" He began "I thought the Sith attacked her and knocked her out?"

"No. They attacked her and thought they knocked her out. We Semakhi are tougher than we appear." Se-ril nodded his head toward a closed door. A thick transparisteel window next to it showed five prisoner med beds, with five of the most unhappy Sith lying there, their arms and hands cuffed and locked to the beds while five heavy combat droids stood guard.

The stun cuffs, Force-restraints, and guards weren't necessary. It seemed that the only thing that the Sith could move without grunting in pain were their heads and for two, a hand or an arm.

"Never sneak up on an old woman with a sharp cane." Se-ril winced "We have a security holo-recording of it. One of those men isn't going to be having children any time soon. That one on the left…" He indicated the far-most one whose right arm was bent at a crazy angle while two med droids attempted to reset it "Once the rest of the Sith managed to swipe her keycard, these five stayed behind. _He_ was the last one standing. Tried to blast her with Force lightning. She spent an entire hour chasing him around the lobby."

"Don't suppose you have a holo of it right here, do you?" Revan laughed weakly, before wincing and coughing.

"Even better." T3 rolled up and gave his master an overjoyed bloo. Revan sighed and ran his hand over T3's "head", and the little droid let out a drawn-out sigh of contentment. Then, he opened up his holo-projector and played the recording he had downloaded. It contained footage from various security cams and from the auto-recorders of the maintenance droids.

_Le-bin visibly tensed as the first Sith leaped down at her. She managed to bash her staff into his stomach, but not before he had knocked her over. In a flash, two more Sith de-camouflaged from their positions hanging on the curved walls and ripped her keycard off of her belt, but she closed her eyes before they could get a thermal of them for the retinal security system._

_Hissing in rage, Le-bin leaped back on her feet, but the majority of the Sith had already fled the room, leaving five dual-lightsaber wielding Acolytes to finish her off. Their mistake._

_Revan flinched as Le-bin Force-threw one of her assailants into the security cam he was watching from. The hologram switched to an overhead cam, and the Sith leaped back up._

_Le-bin parried the second Sith's lightsaber strike with her staff, before settling into the saberstaff variety of Ataru. Two leaf-thin blades shot out of the end like claws, and she held the staff in one hand above her head while her other arm was outstretched, palm facing the lead Sith as they formed a circle around her._

_"Ecta Maris Khat!" Le-bin challenged. The Sith roared in return and three changed their grips on their lightsabers to the reverse style of Shien._

_As the first Sith charged her, Le-bin leaped up gracefully as if without exerting much effort. The Sith passed directly underneath her, and before his head had moved a centimeter to face her, she brought the spiked end of her staff down on his full-face visor with a crunch. He continued forward, twirling around three times before hitting the ground._

_Just as Le-bin whacked the first Sith on the noggin, the next two Acolytes charged her, coming at her from the front and back. Holding her staff in an easy two-handed grip, she thrust the staff backwards, the round metal end impacting against the man rushing her. As if in slow motion, a ripple was sent out through his armor, which shattered and hit the floor._

_Not even pausing for a moment, she whirled around and dealt him another blow to the head for good measure, before impaling her staff on the ground and jumping up, hands still holding onto the staff, and swinging around, smashing a webbed foot into the mouth of the third Acolyte while the other foot hit his stomach. His armor cushioned it, but he had the air knocked out of him and hit the floor, blood and bits of broken teeth dribbling out of his mouth._

_The second Sith got back up, despite the loss of his chest armor, and miniscule spikes popped out of his armored gauntlet. With speed lent by pain, he swung wildly at Le-bin's unprotected head. She ducked and knocked his feet out from under him with her staff, but not before his spikes tore deep wounds into her face._

_Ignoring the pain, Le-bin slammed the bottom end of her staff into the man's spine, paralyzing him. The third was crawling away and attempted to shoot her with a hold-out blaster, but she knocked it away and succeeded in destroying most of the man's jaw and sending him into the black void of unconsciousness._

_The next two Sith, learning from their companion's mistakes and utilizing the fact that Le-bin was injured were more successful. One landed a stinging blow to her arm while the other burned the skin off her right cheek._

_Revan wondered how Le-bin was still standing, as the number of wounds she had sustained would be overwhelming for most, but Le-bin seemed to be ignoring that piece of information and impaled the fourth Sith in the stomach with the bladed half of her staff before swinging it behind and above her head, the Sith still skewered onto it. Without warning, she retracted the blades and he went sailing into the ceiling. Some dust and paint hit the floor, followed shortly by two large chunks of rubble, the Acolyte; who attempted to get up, and finally, a hail of masonry and metal beams which made sure that he didn't._

_"The score is four to zero. I'm in the lead. Care for a respite?" Le-bin sarcastically offered the last Sith. He seemed to wrestle with the decision, though it was hard to tell with the black visor covering his face, before shrugging and blasting Le-bin with Force lightning before running for the door. She held up her staff and absorbed the energy into it before releasing it in the direction of the sealed door. It blew a large hole through it. The last Sith Acolyte stopped, frowned, and then began running as what Le-bin was planning to do began to dawn on his mind._

_"Apparently not. Young 'uns these days. No respect for the code of a dual." Le-bin sighed, before running through the door after the Sith "Better start running, you spawn of a firaxa."_

Se-ril stepped in front of T3's holo-projector and turned it off. "It's too bad we didn't get the rest of the footage, seeing as the Sith deactivated the recording droids once they hacked into the system. By the way, the heads of the encryption and security departments want to have a chat with you. Something about spending five hours of their vacation day almost entirely replacing the Databank Core because someone caused an overload in the circuitry and blew out half the systems."

"But the fact that you stopped the Sith as well in doing that will count!" Dustil said cheerfully "The worst they'll do is get you sealed inside one of the submersibles and send it out five miles and make you swim back to Desmarin."

**Kashyyyk**

Freyyr issued a loud welcoming roar, and was accompanied by the welcoming cries of hundreds of other Wookiees. They had worked through the night, erecting large platforms from the hull metal of the abandoned Czerka vessels and hardwood from wroshyr trees.

They were briefly illuminated by the bright spotlights of the _Hammerhead_-class flagship of the Havoc Fleet, _Vigilance_, before the double-doors of the ventral hangar bay opened and a large variety of vessels began streaming out of the opening like bees from a hive.

The front-most vessels were two shuttles, a modified G-wing and a _Descent_-class patrol shuttle. "Feels good to have my arms around a control stick again." Carth laughed as the patrol shuttle landed on the same platform that a certain _Dynamic_-class freighter had landed not a year ago and with its arrival had come the freedom that the Wookiees had previously believed to be only a dream for the foolish.

The G-wing peeled off and began making passes around the treetops of Rwookrrorro. "All's clear. _Naak_ Force, move in. _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_! Today is a good day for someone else to die!"

For the first time in years, Canderous Ordo felt _right_. Even during his brief time in Revan's employment, he had never felt like he fit into the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_. Now, he was the leader of the Mandalorians. The base on Dxun had been cleared of any debris, foliage, and wild animals. Their numbers measured in the hundreds, and were still growing. Even Ergeron, the Mandalorian mercenary that he had ran into on Manaan had shown up a few months ago with his wife and three children, who all, despite being below the age of 10, could take apart and reassemble a blaster better than most of the Mandalorians in Clan Ordo.

Since then, more Mandalorians began bringing their families into the camp, and with some came ancient texts and scrolls of Mandalorian history and lore. He was revered as a hero, but deep inside, he secretly dreaded the day that Revan's prophesied invasion would occur. He just hoped the Mandalorians were prepared for it when it came.

A large bulk freighter dropped out of hyperspace into orbit. It unloaded a stream of Basilisk fighters and _Shaadlar_-type troop transports before preparing to jump to hyperspace once more. "We'll send you a Sith body impaled on a spike if we find him!" Colin Cel-Drem said into the comlink "Good luck _Mand'alor_!" He was dressed in a combination of Mandalorian armor and his regular Jedi attire. "Next stop, the Unknown Regions!" The bulk freighter's engines turned bright orange and it disappeared, headed for the wilderness at the edge of the galaxy.

"That boy's gonna make a terrific Mandalorian someday…if he can shed his Jedi half." Kelborn muttered to Canderous from his position in the gun turret of the G-wing.

"Cut the chatter you two, no offence _Mand'alor_." Bralor interrupted from his position sitting on the edge of the rear cargo compartment. "Well, the Wookiees sure know where to build a city. I see guard posts, they look recently built, and…how can you build durasteel walls in tree branches?"

"We didn't give the Wookiees enough credit during the wars…" Canderous sighed "As for the hasty construction, what species wouldn't be a little wary after decades of enslavement?"

"We're always wary. That's why we manage to be a pain in the ass to the Republic every time they thing they've finished us!" Bralor chuckled. He unclipped his heavy repeater from its secured position and fired a few rounds of fire into the air. Below, Wookiees responded with roars and fired their own welcoming volley, which intersected the shots Bralor had fired and created a wonderful explosion of fireworks.

Chief Freyyr shook hands cordially with Canderous before gripping him in a bone-crushing hug. He motioned another warrior forward, who presented Canderous with a hand-carved bone battlaxe. The handle was made from polished wroshyr hardwood inlaid with strips of phrik, ensuring that it could take a strike from a lightsaber blade while the sharpened bone-blade was also lined with a mixture of cortosis and phrik alloy. The bone itself was special; it had been brought back to Kashyyyk by one of the Wookiee traders who had discovered it in a black market stall owned by a former Mandalorian Neo-Crusader.

Canderous almost was stunned "This….this is a mythosaur skull! One of the rarer subspecies as well. And the carvings…" He peered closely at the inscriptions on the handle "That's _Vode An_!"

"_I hope with this gift we may too, be 'Brothers All'_" Freyyr explained, bowing deeply to Canderous who bowed back and presented his own gift:

"It's actually two things…" Canderous said. One of them was the actual gift, and the other was something that Bralor had discovered in a box of assorted gifts that Canderous had stuffed into the cargo compartment on the flight to Kashyyyk.

"This is a set of pre-war Coruscanti spice whiskey." Kelborn explained to Freyyr, who opened the container and popped open a bottle before giving it a tentative sniff. Then he motioned for another Wookiee to bring over the already assembled table and drinking vessels that Freyyr had intended for the crew to sit and discuss battle plans on.

"And these are something special." Canderous said to Freyyr, opening a hand-carved trim-wood box. Inside were two ivory gauntlets with skeletal-like outer webs of _beskar_. They were a perfect fit on Freyyr's hands.

Freyyr admired the craftsmenship put into the gauntlets before turning somber and directing them all to the table. The same Wookiee popped open the first bottle of spice whiskey and they all set down to business.

[War Chief Freyyr says that his scouts report the numbers of the Trandoshans range in the hundreds.] The translator droid G4-D6 began [What is more, his scouts spotted several dropships full of _Sentinel_-class droids, and many figures in black clothing. They may be Sith, but they are at least Dark Jedi, because one of the scouts saw two sparring with crimson blades.]

"Sith, here?" Carth asked, scratching his chin "Don't suppose your scouts got any thermos of them, did they?"

Freyyr reached into his side-pack and withdrew two sheets of flimsi. On them, one of the Wookiees had taken snapshots of the two Force-users sparring, and the other was the banner that was at the head of the invasion landing camp.

"Two crescent-moon shapes, connected in the middle…that could be the Star Forge…that bit's new….yep, just as I thought. The remnants of Revan's old Sith Empire have gathered together under a new banner…and maybe a new leader." Carth said. His once youthful face was now creased with worry and despair. "Without Revan to beat them back into submission, let's hope that whoever is leading them isn't as powerful as Malak was."

"Well, whoever he is, he certainly must have a talented tongue." Bastila said, wincing as she shifted her pregnant bulk "This would explain why the pirate raids in this sector and the Trandoshan raids as a whole have been increasing. They've allied with the Sith."

"You'd think they'd know when to take a hint." Canderous chuckled through his helmet "We'll just greet the idiots with a warm bath of fire while they're still on the beach." He waved his arms around, imitating the imaginary scene in his head.

"So I was right; there isn't anything in your head but hot air." Carth mused dryly "The task force I brought isn't prepared to take on a full army of Sith. And with the Jedi Council all but disbanded…"

"What?" Bastila exclaimed, shock and doubt registering on her stricken features.

"You didn't hear? With the entire compliment of Jedi Watchmen gone and half the order killed in the Jedi Civil War, the number of Jedi still in the Order was less than a hundred. I know you haven't been in contact with the Order for a few months Bastila, but I'm surprised you didn't hear this." He pulled out a Holonet transceiver and set it to the Dek Mandar Show.

_"…and in other news today, the Jedi Knights have officially disbanded, as of 0500 hours this morning. No one knows why, but many believe that a rather beat up shuttle that landed last week on the Council Tower landing pad may have something to do with it…_"

"That shuttle belonged to Master Kavar." Carth explained.

"I thought he was dead." Bastila said.

"Dead, no. Horribly wounded and half-dead, yes." Carth sighed. Then he turned his attention back to the broadcast.

_"…the decision to disband the Order was unanimous, according to two Padawans seen leaving the Temple via the Precinct. Now here is Favak De-Rislen with more on the subject…_"

_"…thank you Dek…It's been 3 years since Darth Malak was killed by his former master Revan in the climatic final battle of the Jedi Civil War, and only 2 years since Revan disappeared, leaving the broken and bloodied Jedi Knights without a leader to rally behind…the decision to disband the Order came as a surprise to many residents and Jedi alike, although according to one Jedi, 'There are a little less than a hundred of us left, and the numbers keep on dropping. If we continue to pose such a large target, then we place ourselves at the mercy of our unknown enemy' This is Vacak De-Rislen from the steps of the Jedi Temple…_"

"The Council spent the rest of the week debating after Kavar spent two days in a kolto tank. I'm not really supposed to be telling you this, but the decision to disband the Order took the Council the entire week to decide on, and they didn't come to it lightly."  
"The Temple…" Bastila began.

"…is empty. The transports that would have carried the materials to rebuild the Enclave are currently rusting away in one of the hangars. All of the holocrons have been spirited away." Carth said "There isn't even enough knowledge left in the Temple to fill a datapad. It's as if the Jedi Order was never there."

"As sorrowing as it is that the Order which constantly clashes with our people has disbanded, can we please get back to the task at hand?" Kelborn asked irritably.

"Right…sorry…" Carth apologized, more to Freyyr than to the Mandalorians.

[Chieftain Freyyr proposes this: The "lizard-skins" and the Sith will attempt to breach Rwookrrorro through the basket lift and via the recently built ramp on the Great Walkway that goes down to the beach.] G4-D6 translated. Freyyr pulled up a holo-image of Rwookrrorro.

[The Wookiee scouts' findings indicate that the Trandoshans will concentrate their assault on the basket lift, while a smaller force of Trandoshans will join with the Sith and attempt to take the Tranquility Walkway Ramp.] The image zoomed into the wide well-built ramp leading from the midpoint of the Great Walkway all the way down to the beaches near Kachiro.

"I suggest that Mandalore here and I scout out the Sith camp tonight before any fighting starts." Carth suggested "That way, we have a better understanding of their strengths and the defences of their camp in the possibility of a aggressive strategy."

"I'm all for it soldier boy." Canderous growled with mock sweetness "Better change out of whatever that thing is that you're wearing. There's nothing more than flashy Republic admiral's uniforms that makes Sith sick. Trust me, I should know."

**Kashyyyk**

**2200 hours local time**

"This reminds me of the good ol' days." Carth whispered through the cloth covering the lower half of his face. Equipped in green-brown camouflage painted durasteel armor, the two men leaped from branch to branch, each jump decreasing the distance between them and the tree-line bordering the beach by a few feet.

"What, with Revan? We weren't this well-armored." Canderous objected, extending his retractable gauntlet claws and climbing down the side of a wroshyr tree.

"Yeah, but we had just the same amount of weapons, even more in fact." Carth shot back, leaping onto a vine and sliding past the _**Mand'alor**_ before standing on the branch below, arms folded with an impatient expression on his face.

"Still haven't figured out why we weren't locked in stun-cuffs and thrown into the nearest detention cell at every spaceport we docked in." Canderous chuckled, leaping down and landing on the branch with an audible _crunch_. He swayed and nearly lost his balance before Carth grabbed him by the hand and hauled him back up.

"That secret compartment sure did come in handy." Carth answered.

"Which one? The one under Mission's bunk or the cargo hold one?"

"Both, actually." Carth answered. He held up a hand for Canderous not to answer. "I can see the Sith camp…lower your visor." Both men lowered the shiny black duraplast visors over their eyes and activated the night-view mode.

"Durasteel walls…looks like they dismantled some of the fighters to make guard towers…" Canderous noted. Everything he reported and saw was being transmitted back to Freyyr's hut in Rwookrrorro and the small transmitter station that Bastila had set up.

"…that private skiff seems to fill the function of a command center…those crates look like vehicle parts…yep, make that a definite sighting…they're assembling what looks like two hover-tanks over by the hangar on the side of the skiff…those are the Trandoshan dropships over on the far right…"

"Mind if we interrupt this little recon mission?" Carth froze and glanced at Canderous. Barely turning his head, the Mandalorian saw two Sith in camouflage armor de-cloak behind them. Grinning at Carth, he whirled around, bringing his _beskad_ up and roaring bloody murder.

* * *

Please R & R!


	27. Chapter 27: Blood Promise

Sorry about the length of time it took to write this. Had my school musical and all. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I said, mind if we…" There was a sickening crunch as Canderous's _beska'gam_ connected with the first Sith's face while his _beskad _held in the other _beska'gam_ went in for an uppercut slice between the man's legs.

Carth winced slightly as the man backed away, face smashed and awkwardly holding his bleeding groin before roundhouse-kicking his Sith and punching him a few times. As the Sith staggered backwards, Carth whipped out his hold-out blaster. However, the Sith managed to bring out his lightsaber and blocked the first two shots and sliced the barrel of the blaster in half. He would have taken off Carth's arm had Canderous not thrown his own arm in the way, catching the plasma beam on his gauntlet and smiling at the Sith's shock _that his lightsaber didn't work_.

Taking advantage of the Sith's momentary dismay, Carth ran forward and jumped onto him, locking his arms behind the man's back and curling his legs around the man's legs. Canderous took the hint and went at the man from behind, shedding his _beskad_ and grabbing the man in a full-body tackle, using his armored arms to slowly crush the man to death. With the combined weight of two armored-men in addition to his own, the Sith stumbled, dropped his lightsaber, and fell off the massive limb.

"YEEAARRRGHHHH!" Carth screamed as they zoomed through the canopy. "Branch at 4 o'clock!"

Canderous looked up, and probably shouldn't have. A branch the width of a long-range Aratech S-D4 heavy repeater smacked into his armored head. Leaves raked it, leaving brown dirt marks on the armor.

Carth attempted to shift the group's weight to avoid another branch, but ended up bashing the group Canderous-end-first into the trunk of a tree before they flipped upside down and both Canderous and the Sith smashed through a rotted section of a wroshry with their heads. The Sith, already battered from the assault, and with no helmet or head gear, went limp, his head twisted at a crazy angle, but there were still fifteen stories to go.

"Ow!..._umph_…youch!...that's gonna-_**sheb**_!...ooo…arrgh…." Canderous made grunting noises as he, the bottom of the three, took the remaining impacts on the way to the forest floor.

"That rock should break our fall!" Carth roared over the wind rushing past them as a large flat boulder rushed up towards them. Although he may have imagined it, he thought he heard Canderous say:

"Did you say break our?-" _**WHUMP**_

"…as well as my spine, my spleen, my liver, my other assorted parts…" Canderous moaned as he shoved Carth and the dead Sith off of his chest. "That's gonna ache in the morning…"

Carth sighed and glanced at the sore and fuming hulk of Canderous. His helmet was slightly dented, and there were green imprints on it from the various leaves and branches that they had collided with.

"We'd best get back to Rwookrrorro." Carth suggested. He glanced over at the dead Sith "I doubt that these Sith just jumped us before informing their superiors. Probably a whole squad of Sith on their way now." Canderous growled when suddenly, they heard the sound of kath hounds and feet less than a hundred feet away…

* * *

**Coruscant**

**Supreme Chancellor's Chambers**

"Master Vandar…I can still call you that, correct?" Cressa asked, pacing in his office.

"Grand Master of the Jedi Order, I may be not, but I am still a teacher of the willing, so yes, you can still call me a Master of sorts." Vandar said wearily.

"I know that you disbanded the Order for some fair reason and I honestly respect your wishes, but the Republic needs Jedi." Cressa stated, sitting down in his chair.

"Even though the Order is non-existent, I offer you a position as my advisor…and I also offer the full support of the Senate to reveal this faceless menace that is destroying the Jedi Order one member at a time." Cressa finished, glancing hopefully at Vandar, whose mouth was, for once, open in shock. He tried but failed to speak several times, opening and closing his mouth before finding the right words.

"I-I am honored by your offer my friend." Vandar said at last "I will accept your first offer, but for the second…" He glances sadly at the floor "The more we search for this evil, the more Jedi will die…"

* * *

**Aurek District**

**Galactic City**

The water had always soothed her. Even her quarters in the now-abandoned Jedi Temple had a large fountain and waterfall in them, where she would swim or meditate, hovering a few feet above the small pool.

Now, the fountain by her new apartment served as a meeting place. Here, she, Master Bolook, and the remainder of originally a squad of twenty Jedi Knights and Republic forces that had stormed Darth Revan's flagship would meet. The fountain was based off a design of one of the many waterfalls in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

"Greetings Anyara." Master Bolook's lekku was wrapped around his head, but instead of his customary blue Jedi robes, he wore a simple tunic.

"Master Bolook." Anyara bowed.

"Not anymore my old Padawan." Bolook said, smiling weakly "Where are the others?"

"Ren's home sick with the flu. Aldren should have been here an hour ago…" The Cathar said. She nodded to a couple sitting on a bench behind her "Kagen and Mara are…reconnecting over there." Her snout wrinkled and her nostrils flared.

"Perhaps it is time for you too to allow yourself to make connections with others." Bolook suggested.

"It's different. They weren't even Jedi! They're just Republic servicemen!"

"We're not Jedi either." Bolook reminded her softly. Anyara softened up, glancing ashamedly at her feet. Suddenly, her comlink chirped.

"_Aldren…found something…-of it seems to indicate…-egally parked…landing pad…_" The message erupted in static.

"Aldren…Aldren?" Anyara cursed and shook her comlink.

"Sorry…went through a tunnel." Aldren apologized. His voice sounded worried and tiny over the comlink "I was scrounging around the Works last night…but let me start from the beginning."

"There's a large unidentified skiff that's been sitting on one of the municipal landing pads for the better part of the week. I've been watching it and two small cargo haulers that are parked nearby. Didn't see anything until last night, when I saw several hatches open in the cargo haulers and the boarding ramp of the skiff open. It was too dark to tell for sure, but I think I saw a whole bunch of people disembark from each craft."

"Did you get footage of it?" Anyara nearly jumped. She hadn't felt Kagen or Mara come up behind her. Kaden smiled apologetically and turned back to the comlink. "Well?"

"Yep. But I…the recorder was damaged, and I can't access it. I need someone skilled to retrieve what data they can from it."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Kagen asked dryly "What are we, chop bantha liver?"

"Meet us at my apartment." Bolook ordered Aldren "Make sure that you're not being followed."

"You really did a number on these circuits." Kaden sighed as he took apart the remains of the recorder "Half of these memory logs are fused shut. There's extensive water damage as well. What, were you reading this over your morning caf?" Aldren shuffled nervously. "Never mind. Alright, I think I've managed to retrieve all I can…" He hooked up a datapad and a holo-projector to the ruined recorder "Let's see what you got…"

The hologram was grainy at best, and there were brief periods of static, but everyone could see around three-score total black-clothed figures emerge from the vessels. They separated into groups of six and…disappeared.  
"Stealth field generators." Bolook growled "So we know that someone wants this little operation to stay quiet…" There was more footage, and that shut him up. The image was hazy, but not hazy enough. The man seen emerging from the skiff was the stuff of nightmares.

One eye was milky white while the other eye shone with cold fury. His skin was cracked and cratered, colored dead grey, and gave him the appearance of a rock statue. One arm was covered in a black arm-glove while he wore full-length black pants and boots. Handing on his waist was a single lightsaber.

"That's no Dark Jedi…" Aldren gasped.

"…that's a Sith Lord!" Mara exclaimed. Suddenly, Anyara and Bolook visibly tensed, both reaching for their lightsabers.

"Bravo. Now you die." The air behind them shimmered, and ten of the black-clothed figures materialized in the room, along with the Sith Lord.

"Not if I can help it!" Kagen and Mara whipped out their Merr-Sonn DX-45 heavy repeater pistols and let loose with the automatic setting.

The Sith Lord waved his hand and the bolts went flying in all directions. Some hit the window, shattering it into tiny fragments while others burned holes into the walls and furniture and shattered valuable Jedi artifacts.

Bolook used the Force to overturn his sofa and the two non-Jedi ducked behind it while Bolook and Anyara began deflecting the various blaster bolts being sent at them or deflected at them. Aldren used the Force to pull more furniture in front of them, creating a barricade while deflecting the deflected bolts back at their attackers with the Force.

This went on for a good five minutes before the Sith Lord growled and ordered his men to stop. Next, he closed his eyes and exerted through the Force. Kagen and Mara let out gasps as their blasters were pulled out of their hands by an invisibly Force and shattered halfway to the Sith Lord.

"Enough of this charade…" The Sith Lord whipped out his single-bladed blood-red lightsaber. The men behind him did the same, some wielding saberstaffs or duel blades.

Aldren pulled out what appeared to be a basket hilt of one of the ancient archaic fencing swords. "Ever heard of a lightfoil?" He grinned, as a light emerald blade, shot through with silver and white, erupted from the hilt.

"Nice trick." Sion smiled. "But two Jedi and…" Kagen and Mara pulled two thin cylinders from their belts. The ends of both cylinders elongated until they formed two collapsible phrik staffs. At the end of each staff, a miniscule lightsaber blade came out with a _snap-hiss_. The beams of plasma were about the size of the flame of a plasma torch, but they were just as deadly as any other lightsaber, as the duo showed by cleaving the sofa in half while Anyara Force-hurled each half at the Sith Lord and his cronies, crushing two of the cronies.

"…and two trained Republic operatives equals you on your ass crying for your mother you dick-wad?" Kagen chuckled.

"Children pretending to be Jedi…" Sion grinned "How…" The next thing he knew, he was stumbling back into the arms of the first Sith assassin behind him. "How…?"

"Kaiburr crystal fragments…" Mara explained, grinning ear-to-ear. She pulled aside a flap on her belt, revealing three pale-pink fragments of the famed Kaiburr crystal embedded in her tunic. Kaden had the same in his belt.

"It may not make them Jedi, but they have enough of a connection to the living Force already to activate the fragments' powers." Aldren taunted.

"Ooh, scary." Sion growled. He pushed through the Force. Suddenly, Aldren, Kagen, and Mara were thrown backwards. Kagen was the foremost of the three, and received the brunt of the Force Wave. Although he tried to stop himself, he flew out of the broken window into open space. Anyara was also caught in the blast, but fell onto the floor.

"Kagen!" Mara screamed, but it was too late. Eyes burning with hatred, she charged Sion, only to be slashed across the back before having her head impaled on the blade of one of the other Sith.

"That's it!" Aldren yelled "Now you die!" He flourished his lightfoil "_En guard_! YEEARRGHHHH!" He began dueling fiercely with Sion. Anyara and Bolook glanced at each other before charging Sion as well. The remaining Sith assassins flourished their lightsabers, anticipating the first strike…

* * *

"_This is Data Log 001 of the Tranquility Murder Case. Recorded as investigation goes along by Forensics Expert Tasha Levine and Investigator Captain Marcus Lewis of the Forensics Sub-Unit of the CSF_."

"_At 0943 hours, the CSF received a call from a resident of the Tranquility Center and Apartments. The resident, identified as a Raul Petarkin, a part-time schoolteacher at the Galactic Elementary School, reported that he had seen what appeared to be glass fragments fall from the room across the garden one floor up from him, the 150__th__ floor_."

"_Around ten minutes later, Petarkin saw what appeared to be a young man fly out of the window, wielding what appeared to be a staff with glowing tips, now identified as a phrik dueling staff_."

"_At 1000 hours, my partner, Captain Lewis, arrived at Petarkin's apartment to question him on what he had seen. Upon arrival, Lewis found the door ajar and signs of a struggle. A smoldering arm, later identified via DNA matching as Petarkin's, was found in the bedroom holding a still-charged holdout Sentine SnipeTech-45 blaster. Blood samples recovered from the crime scene came from both Petarkin and several unknown sources. All unidentified sources were human. Petarkin's current status is unknown, and with the known cauterizing effects of a lightsaber wound, we can assume that he is alive, with no other evidence of major injuries._"

"_A subsequent report by Lewis to CSF headquarters prompted a team of investigators to go to what was confirmed as the apartment of former Jedi Master and trainer Bolook. Like Petarkin's apartment, there was no sign of forced entry, indicating that either whoever attacked the Jedi knew him, or was equipped with a stealth field generator_."

"_Either way, the scene that greeted us on arrival was gruesome to say the least. By the door, we found at least three sources of blood and flesh, but no bodies. They may have been dragged away. Two sources of blood were connected to samples taken from Petarkin's apartment_."

"_Start recording by Captain Lewis. Master Bolook, a male Twi'lek, was found dead not far from the bodies, crushed underneath his sofa. Cause of death was a single thrust to the chest with a plasma weapon, probably a lightsaber. A secondary cause was a stab to the forehead, made after the chest wound. Bolook was probably thrown underneath the sofa and crushed, but it is unknown if he was still conscious when he received the head wound_."

"_Three more bodies, apparently acquaintances of Bolook that were meeting there, were found in various places throughout the apartment. Victim A, now identified as Jedi Knight Anyara, a Cathar who was part of the team to capture Darth Revan, died from asphyxiation, though since there are no marks or bruises, we can assume her killer is a Force-user_."

"_Victim B, identified as Mara Davos, a human female and a spy for the Republic and a personal friend of Tasha Levine, died from a lightsaber thrust to the head, which impaled her brain. Pre-mortem however, she suffered extensive damage to her back, probably moments before she was killed. The skin on her back was flayed off, again probably due to a lightsaber strike. Personal theory: The strike that skinned her back may have sent her onto the blade of her killer_."

"_Finally, Victim C, an unidentifiable human male, was found lying in the kitchen-unit. Cause of death was decapitation, and victim received amputation of both hands post-mortem. Without facial recognition or fingerprints to identify, we'll have to wait and see what the DNA samples give us_."

* * *

The refresher was his sanctuary. In fact, it was the only place that the blaring audio and flashing signs screaming: [Fifteen Jedi dead and the numbers are rising…Three planets' reconstruction efforts descended into chaos within three days- Where are the Jedi?] They clouded his head, just like the dark side of the Force.

"Master Vandar?"

Again…he knew it was not so, but the truth was, the Jedi's only hope of survival had turned into their curse. Public opinion of the Jedi had dropped steeply within the last few weeks, as more and more projects being run by the Jedi collapsed. Some Jedi were still active, but labeled as "unstable vigilantes".

"I am coming…" The refresher door hissed open to reveal Master Vandar sitting cross-legged on a mat beside the washer station.

"You know, there are better places to meditate than the facilities…"

"It is quiet here. Simple. No fancy décor. Just like my former quarters at the Jedi Temple."

"There's always the Tranquility Suite on the upper level…"

"No…Forn, as much as I appreciate it allowing me to stay in your office, accepting Cressa's offer, and I know it came from him, would seem like taking advantage of my situation. I would like to stay out of the public eye…for now."

* * *

"_Begin recording by Investigator Levine. Data Log 002. It's been three days since we arrived at the crime scene. We've just gotten the victim's genetic data and the DNA information from the crime scene. Victim C has been identified as Aldren Dayos, a human male Jedi Knight and another member of the team sent to capture Darth Revan_."

"_Dayos appears to have been the last to die of the four, and has minor defensive wounds and bruises all over his body, as well as blood from the attackers of Petarkin and the others. We've categorized the DNA samples into the investigation's codex, but without someone to match the samples to we're dead in the water on that front_."

"_Doctor Mergrask found something interesting embedded in the fabric of M. Davos's uni-suit. It appears to be a rock fragment, probably from her attacker. There's an unusually high amount of radiation emitting from the sample, prompt the lab to go into lockdown until it could be contained. Luckily, no one suffered fatal exposure and Mergrask continued with his examination in the energy-shielded suite. The fragment, aside from the radiation, is covered in miniscule cracks and smudges, as well as what Mergrask says is a metallic dust that received heavy exposure to mass shadows_."

* * *

The Wookiees were ingenious. If you paid them well enough, they could probably build you a wooden starship, a capital-ship class one.

Carth was thinking this right now as he watched the Wookiee heavy soldier next to him load the magnificently engineered spring-powered baradium canister launcher. Once the rotating canister holder had deposited a canister in the launching tube, a piece of flint activated by pulling a switch would set off a miniature detonator that propelled the canister at 300 mph at its target. Sophisticated homing technology, courtesy of what Czerka left behind when they shipped off-planet, directed the canister towards its target, and, with some tweaking by the Wookiees, swerved around targets identified as neutral or friendly.

The battle had begun early that morning, when the Trandoshans made an assault on the basket lift. The Wookiees had beaten them off during the first several waves, but then, they brought in the heavy assault droids that the Sith had supplied them with. Walking on four legs, a few feet taller than a Wookiee, with dual missile launchers and four rotating blaster cannons, they easily pushed the Wookiees back to their secondary and then tertiary defence positions along the catwalks hugging the great wroshyr trees.

Meanwhile, the Sith had begun their assault on the Ramp, with assault droids, heavy troopers, and, as Bastila called them, "caterpillars", basically a weapons platform on top of an eight-wheeled platform with caterpillar treads. Canderous just called them "rollers". Nevertheless, even with their own tanks and the advantage of aircraft, the Republic forces weren't a match for lightsaber-wielding Dark Jedi.

That's where Canderous and his Mandalorians came in. Only fifteen in numbers, the first group of Mandos, led by Bralor, wiped out the first two waves of Dark Jedi and Sith troopers in less than an hour. However, even _beskar_ armor had its limits. By the time the third wave of heavy tanks moved in, three Mandos were lying on the ground, their bodies resembling misshapen cratered hunks of rock.

"Fall back!" Canderous ordered Bralor "Damn it! Fall back before you go too far! Those tanks are almost within firing range!" Bralor's response, though hazy, was infuriated at best.

"…can take th-…still have…the launche-…if that's what…then fine. Fall back!"

"Kelborn, remind me to give Bralor a severe beating when…" Canderous frowned when all he heard was silence. Turning around, he found himself facing an empty room, save for Freyyr and Bastila, who were just as puzzled as he was.

"Elcon, did you see Kelborn anywhere? Or that Twi'lek Griff? Or the Republic Admiral?"

"And where did Zaalbar and Ashata go?" Bastila asked.

"Elcon here…we're falling back…thought I saw them heading towards where that Wookiee…Zaalbar I think…first went down into the Shadowlands…might have gone down there."

"Shit." Canderous growled. He pointed to Bastila "You stay here. Bralor? Change of plans. Get Desmal and his team ready and have them take over your position. Meet me where you saw those idiots go."

* * *

**Jolee Bindo's hut**

Mission checked the safety on the rifle she had found and glanced towards the barricaded door. The Trandoshans hadn't seen her at first, but when one investigated the seemingly abandoned home, she had no choice but to break her cover and kill him. Mission barely had gotten the door closed when the other Trandoshans had screeched the alarm.

The pounding stopped, which mean that either the Trandoshans had given up, or…yep. The glowing tip of a plasma torch burned through the door edge, and began moving along the perimeter, slicing meticulously through the beams that she had nailed to the door.

"Sithspit…" Mission cursed. For an old hermit, Jolee had kept some very interesting items in his basement. Not only the rifle, but a S-4 rotating repeating blaster cannon and a pouch of thermal grenades and sonic charges.

The Trandoshans were almost through with the door, and she heard the sound of weapons cocking and blades being withdrawn. With an eerie groan, the door fell inward. But, not even before it hit the ground, Mission was letting loose with the rifle, reloading and shooting almost simultaneously. When the rifle ran out, she grabbed the heavy repeater and began letting loose with that.

Dead Trandoshans littered the doorway, bodies pocketed with blaster burns. But the heavy repeater, though effective, was old, and wasn't designed to be fired nonstop for such a long period of time.

Suddenly, the Trandoshans stopped coming in through the door. In fact, Mission could see them backing away…and then she saw the flash of a durasteel leg.

The young Twi'lek barely had time to dive for cover as an armored fist smashed a hole through the roof, followed by another fist, which tore off a large chunk. It backed away, and the hand on its left arm shifted aside and a missile launcher popped out, which fired three concussion missiles at the house, tearing a hole in the wall, caving in the rest of the roof, and blasting a hole in the floor.

Mission screamed as she was knocked back. A massive tree root, shaken loose by the explosion, fell down on her and pinned her leg underneath. The giant combat droid paused to eject the tibanna gas clip before stomping off to aid in the assault of Kashyyyk.

Mission furiously attempted to free her leg as the Trandoshans deliberately closed in with almost agonizing slowness. One withdrew two wicked looking blades before another shoved him aside and aimed for Mission's head with his rifle…

_**Thuk-chow**_. The blade-wielding Trandoshan was felled by a bolt of green energy. Two more were peppered with blaster bolts. Suddenly, the area around the Trandoshans began erupting in mini-explosions, as the Wookiees switched their ammo to the heavy assault type. Soon, only five Trandoshans remained.

The Trandoshan wielding the rifle shook his head as he recovered from the fall he had taken when the ground next to him exploded. Hissing in fury, he grabbed his rifle, and without hesitation, aimed it at Mission and let loose.

"NO!" Before anyone could act, Griff Vao broke free of his position and fired off a wild shot at the Trandoshan, which missed. "MISSION!" Time seemed to stand still as Mission watched the bullets fly towards her, and Griff fling himself in the way. She saw them enter his chest, one by one, the blood spurt out in slow motion. Another shot hit Griff's lekku, blasting a large hole in it.

Zaalbar blasted two Trandoshans while Ashata and Carth finished off the other two. Then, Zaalbar grabbed the Trandoshan that had shot Griff by the neck and began pounding him into the ground until he was knocked out cold.

Ashata ran over and lifted the root off of Mission, who ran over to Griff's side. Three large holes pocketed his chest, and he was bleeding profusely. Cradling her brother's head in her lap, Mission leaned in as Griff attempted to speak.

"T-told you…I would…protect you…never managed to keep my promises…except this one…" Griff whispered, blood trickling out of his mouth "…always would protect-…" His head fell onto Mission's lap as the life left him.

"Oh Griff…" Mission whispered. Then the tears came, in short bursts, and filled with regret and sorrow. She hugged the body of her brother close to her in a vice-like grip, and it took much coaxing from Carth and Ashata to convince her to relinquish it. Once Ashata had secured Griff, Carth sacrificed the shoulder of his armor for Mission to sob into.

"He…he didn't deserve this…" Mission sobbed.

"Shhh…I know. No one deserves anything." Carth whispered "He may have been a scumbag in life, but he kept his promise to you…"

* * *

The day went to the Wookiees. The Sith, rather than surrender, had fought to the last man. There would be no clue as to who led them or what the motivation was for their attack. As for the Trandoshans, the remaining slavers were being rounded up and marched onto shuttles to be taken back to the Vigilance and then to Coruscant for imprisonment.

As the subdued Trandoshans were led onto the second shuttle to leave, Mission limped up and roughly grabbed one and pulled him out of line, a blaster pressed to his temple. One of the Wookiees made to stop her, but Freyyr and Carth held him back. This was something Mission had to do for herself.

Mission pulled the Trandoshan to a section of platform that was weakened in the battle, and was held in place by a single rope vine. She held him over the edge, relying on the strength of her mechanical arm to keep him from falling off.

"You killed my brother." She growled between her clenched teeth.

[[_So? He was just_-]] Mission relaxed her grip for a moment before grabbing the Trandoshan again [[_What are you going to do? You're not going to kill me are you?_]] Mission was silent [[_Uh…are you?_]]

"Unlike you, I don't murder people in cold blood…" Mission hissed. She shoved him to the floor and stalked away. Suddenly, she whirled around and fired off a shot at the rope holding the section up. "…only when they deserve it." With a mighty crack, the rope snapped and the Trandoshan was sent hurdling towards the Shadowlands. The section of platform, now hanging by a few wood timbers, groaned and followed suit.

"Do you think you did the right thing?" Carth asked Mission as she stalked back to the group.

"That's for the people he probably killed or enslaved or would have killed or enslave to decide." Mission said without turning her head. She needed time to think about this…

* * *

Please R & R!


	28. Chapter 28: Ghost Ship

Read and Enjoy!

Spent some time playing MS2. Got some influence from that.

* * *

[_Revan's Personal Log: Entry 001- The Devoltar never made it through the first quarter of the battle. Sith bombers blew it to shreds. Managed to get Phiran and his command crew out. Thank god for whoever redesigned the bridge as an armored lifepod. The vessel went down somewhere near the Stykes Nebula, and the Torrent is more than reluctant to reclaim the wreck. That's Grathca territory. Never seen a Grathca in real life, but from the holos I've seen, they're a humanoid species. They've got three fingers on each hand, one "thumb" and two others. All three have wicked looking claws that extend in combat. Their heads remind me of the krakana of Dac. The shape I mean, not the way that it actually looks. It's like a cross-between some wired bug with the shape of a krakana's head. The skin's all scales and leather flaps. They've got six eyes: three on each side. The prominent eyes are there, followed by the smaller secondary eyes and then the tertiary eyes. Due to their "triple" vision, they apparently fight well in the dark._

_ They don't appear to have mouths at first glance, but if you examine one (if you ever get close enough to), then you can see four small slits that join together at the lower half of the Grathca's mouth. Saw a holo of when the Grathca opens its mouth. Nasty. They have teeth running along the edges of each of the four "jaws", and they open like the top of a container, split into four. They're also wicked fast and equipped with this hybrid synthetic-organic beam weaponry. Their ships also have an organic look. As far as Phiran can tell, each class never has two ships that are exactly the same._

_ The Devoltar was carrying experimental stealth tech and prototype Shatterpoint weaponry- the name is taken from the ability. Basically, the missile hits the target but doesn't explode. Instead, it releases a sonic ping before impact to locate the Shatterpoint (The advanced tech in finding it still puzzles me) and then unleashes a pulse blast that tears a hole through the ship. It can penetrate shields, and once the hull's been breached, then it releases the explosives. We can't let the Sith get their hands on it. While our technicians managed to encrypt the data, so the Grathca wouldn't be able to decode it, skilled Sith might be able to. So, we have to get that wreck._

_ According to Phiran, the only one who knows how to evade Grathca vessels is a Twi'lek crime lord known as Demja Krempomere- Head of the Dark Eclipse Empire. When Phiran said Empire, he meant Empire. This man could rule an entire planetary system if he wanted. But he enjoys being the invisible hand, being the one to pull the strings_.]

* * *

It was good to be back in the old girl. Newly repaired and refitted with the best tech and armaments that the Torrent could afford, the _Ebon Hawk_ was better than when she stepped off the assembly line.

Their mission was simple: Krempomere was no friend of the Torrent, and while he wasn't that much of a friend to the Sith either, he was content to trade with them. They would infiltrate his complex on Dezhagon, and steal the star charts that showed the only safe hyperspace lanes through Grathca space.

Not surprising, Juhani and her crew had volunteered for the mission, as had Dustil, Phiran, Opila, and Se-ril. The _Ebon Hawk_ now had a truly full crew.

"Stay within the safe currents Revan." Le-bin warned him as the dock workers finished loading the final supplies into the lower hold. "The open ocean may seem tempting, but there are dangers within. Never swim above a firaxa shark. They always attack from below when not on the sea floor."

"Thanks…I think." Revan said slowly before shouldering his bag and tromping up the boarding ramp.

"Engines are online. Propulsion systems active." Dustil reported from the navigator's station.

"Fuel injectors operating at full capacity."

"Shield generators and heat vents working and at 100% operating systems."

"Ready when you are, Revan."

Revan stood behind Dustil's chair and smiled. "Let's make it happen."

* * *

At 0600 hours, the faint corrupted sound of a distress signal was heard. Dustil and Hudrow tried their best to clear the message, but the source of the message, the transceiver, was emitting a broken signal, indicating that it had been physically damaged. However, it was enough to give them their first lead.

"Tell me something." Revan said as he stumbled into the communications room, half-asleep.

"We've received a distress call, originating at 0350 hours and…" Revan glared at Hudrow "Right, what you don't know you want us to tell you. Got it. The distress call came from the merchant transport _Freedom's Way_. It's an _Explorer_-class transport/refurbished salvage vessel. They reported that they were under attack by two small light corvettes, possibly Dark Eclipse vessels. I just established contact with the captain."

"This could prove to be interesting…" Revan mused "What's the status of the _Freedom's Way_?"

"Their propulsion systems are offline. They only have two low-power beam cannons working, and they're not very good at tracking small light vessels. Their hull's been breached and the captain believes that the Dark Eclipse vessels will attempt to board them."

"What are the Dark Eclipse vessels after?"

"They have durasteel plating in the cargo holds as well as extra power cells, plasma coils, heat ejectors, and parts for several laser turrets that are being taken to a colony near Grathca space."

"Set a course for them position. All crew, this is Revan. Get out of your bunks and prepare for heavy combat."

The armor locker was opened and the new E5 combat armor was handed out to those who wanted it. Others put on their own kits, assembled throughout the years. Some of the Jedi utilized various bits of miscellaneous armor over their robes.

"The Dark Eclipse mercenaries are currently cutting into the hull on the starboard forequarters on Deck One of the _Freedom's Way_." Corporal Matthews, one of Juhani's crew and a former Republic SF trooper. He indicated a section in the hologram that T3 was projecting "We'll be docking via the ventral aft docking ring. Seal your suits for hard vacuum. We don't know what state the freighter will be in after the amount of bombardment it's sustained. Our primary objective is to secure engineering and the four main cargo holds. All other cargo holds are secondary. While we are securing those areas, two teams, led by General Revan and Jedi Juhani, will board the corvettes and seize control."

"How will we board without being detected?" One of the members of the two teams asked.

"Drop down and give me 200 soldier! As I was about to say, you'll use stealth field generators to get onboard. Once we've secured the cargo hold, a team will secure the bridge while another will transport any wounded crew of the merchant freighter to the _Ebon Hawk_ for treatment. The rest will reinforce the two teams."

* * *

**Deep Space, Gethren System**

_**Freedom's Way**_

**0900 hours**

The _Ebon Hawk_ reverted to realspace in time to see a missile from one of the corvettes, a gunship, impact near a turret emplacement, blowing a hole in the hull of the merchant vessel and destroying the turret.

The _Freedom's Way_ was basically the rounded bridge module with the two engine pods jutting out on either side, a larger boxy crew-module, the cargo modules, and the rear engine block. The cargo modules clung to a central section that contained maintenance tunnels, walkways, and tubes for remote droid-loading and repair.

"I'm counting two medium-sized corvettes, one's a command vessel and the other could be a gunboat, and four gunships." Hudrow reported as he sifted through data.

"Stealth systems holding. They haven't detected us." Dustil said.

"Current status of the merchant freighter?" Revan asked, as one of the gunships peppered a transparisteel window, shattering it. Several bodies and crates flew out before the emergency bulkheads slid shut.

"I'm reading erratic signatures from their reactor core. Thermal emissions suggest a core breach, but it looks like the fuel siphons are still working. No danger of an overload." Rohlan said.

"I'm counting thirty-seven life-signs aboard. Mostly human, but several Twi'leks, Selkath, Gran, and one Nautolan." Dustil continued.

"That'd be Captain Kestrel." Hudrow chimed in.

"One of the gunships just extended a boarding claw!" Dustil said anxiously.

"Alright, time to reveal ourselves…" Revan chuckled "HK, focus your fire on the gunships that haven't attempted a boarding maneuver. Whatever you do, don't settle for a crippling. The last thing we need is one of those gunships careening into the freighter."

[Annoyed Statement: Master, have I ever settled for anything _but_ total annihilation?]

[Blooooo….dee-beep! Brank!]

[Annoyed Correction: I only left those Sith alive so that Master could destroy them.]

[Doooo…be-dee-poooo-bloop?]

[Defensive Outcry: I am not making excuses-]

"Shut it you two before I launch you out of the missile tube." Rohlan growled.

The two turbolaser turrets of the _Ebon Hawk_ turned as the stealth systems disengaged. Both began spitting bolts of plasma non-stop before the ship had even fully rematerialized. The first few rounds hit the minimally shielded stern of the unprepared gunboat, destroying its engines with a few blasts. The _Ebon Hawk_'s engines powered up and she began charging toward the command ship, while still pumping turbolaser fire into the gunship. "Their engines are disabled!" Hudrow cheered.

"Alright, ignore them. Focus on the command ship!"

The command ship veered around and launched a salvo of disrupter bolts at the _Ebon Hawk_, which veered to the right only to dive right into a stream of ion pulses being launched by one of the gunships.

Revan cried out as he was thrown off his feet and skidded into the corridor. "Damage report!" He barked.

"Shields holding at 87%. Those gunships can pack a punch!" Hudrow exclaimed.

"HK, why aren't the gunships exploding?"

[Apologetic Statement: Master, I would be currently gloating in the would-have-been-recent destruction of those annoying insects if-Change to Accusing Statement with Sarcasm mixed in: The little trashbin beside me would kindly stop rewiring the targeting scope!]

"Teethree, let him do what he does best."

[Bloooo…ble-ble-bloo-ble-blee-deet!]

"Revan!" Revan got up and stumbled into a chair in the cockpit.

"What's going on?"

"Phiran failed to mention the exact capibilities of Dark Eclipse Vessels…"

The crippled gunboat fired its thrusters as the command ship moved underneath it. The gunboat nestled into a niche on the top of the command vessel.

"Launch ion pulses!" Revan barked

"Sir, the ion cannons weren't designed to be fired while in constant motio…"

"Objection noted! Take, take, take!"

Bolts of blue-white ionized particles began streaming from the recently added ion cannon attachment on both of the dual laser cannons situated on the wingtips. Each blast from the trio of cannons produced a triangle shot, one blue-white bolt and two red plasma shots.

"Change of plans. Scrap our original rescue itinerary. Tell the commando team to prepare for drop entry into the merchant vessel." Revan said before motioning to Rohlan who leaped out of his seat and followed him out of the cockpit.

"Drop entry…as in hard vacuum drop entry?"

* * *

Revan breathed in, the sound echoing inside of his suit as the airlock hissed open. In one large leap, he cleared the rim of the still-opening door and emerged into the vast nothingness of space. In orbit of the planet Gethren, the space battle was therefore in the thinnest outer atmospheric layer. While sound didn't travel as well, Revan still could hear the faint _thunk-thunk_ of discharging bolts of plasma.

Activating the dropsuit's thruster-pack, he maneuvered toward the hull of the merchant vessel, followed closely by Rohlan and Zayne. Behind them, Se-ril, locked in a full-body Semakhi combat suit with swivel joints and duramesh armor, secured his grip on the container holding Opila.

"I…can't…get this…plate…open!" Rohlan grunted as he attempted to pry off a loose plate. The room inside was open to space, so there wasn't any worry of killing anyone trapped inside. However, the plate, while blown partially open, was fused to the exo-structure, and there was no way of prying it open save for heavy-duty explosives, which were kind of redundant in cold vacuum.

"Get the sticky." Revan ordered Zayne. The young former Jedi nodded and removed what appeared to be a craft gun from his belt. He placed it to the hull and began running it along a semi-straight line. Thick translucent paste emerged in a sticky trail as he moved the gun along in a circular shape, with a blue-red wire in the middle of the paste.

"Clear." Revan shoved himself off the hull just as Rohlan pressed the detonator. There was a sharp fizz as tiny red-hot particles shot out from the circle. Had they been in close proximity, the particles would have burned right through the armor of their vac suits. The paste was a neutralized metal-eating acid that, when hit by a charge through the wire, would dissolve whatever metallic surface it touched within twenty seconds before disintegrating.

"It's like a ghost-ship in here." Zayne breathed as he lowered himself into the room.

"Remember, at least one of the gunships managed to unload its merc compliment into the ship. The others are probably unloading theirs while the command ship distracts the _Ebon Hawk_. There can be no mistakes. Our mission is to neutralize the mercenaries, non-fatally if possible, and secure the remaining crew." Revan ordered the team.

Suddenly, his comlink crackled to life. "_This is Captain Kestrel. Are you Revan?_"

"That's me." Revan replied "What's the situation, Captain?"

"_Most of us, myself included, are inside the bridge. We've got a hold of both the command and crew modules, but I just lost two of my men who were scouting Cargo Module A_."

"Encounter any mercs?"

"_A few tried to breach the crew module. Lucky for us, there's only two ways in: The main corridor, which runs throughout the length of the entire ship, and the mess hall entrance. The mess hall's two stories tall, so we were able to set up all around it facing the door. We also managed to activate the security droids that weren't destroyed by those EMP mines those mercenaries placed that landed us in this problem in the first place_."

"What's the strength of the mercenaries?"

"_Uhh…not sure. The few that tried to attack us were equipped with your basic kit: rifle, pistol, melee blades, standard-issue Dark Eclipse armor. But judging from what my colleagues have told me about Dark Eclipse attacks, I'm guessing that they also have at least three battalions of heavy combat droids and at least ten elite mercenary commandos_."

"Right…hold your position, but fall back if the mercs advance in full force. Don't let any more of your men die."

"Revan, thermal scanner's picking up two humanoid signals moving toward our position. Fast too." Revan motioned to Corporal Matthews. The man nodded and motioned with his hands to his team. They moved down the corridor, taking position by the junction at the end. The rest of the team moved into the corridor and set up in two crew quarters on opposite sides of the hall.

Rohlan sealed the doors to the breached compartment. Oxygen flooded into the corridor, but the team kept their suits sealed. The corridor wouldn't stay safe for long.

"Heat signatures outside the door. Shape matched to the typical Yasik-Martrov G-type standard combat droid. Ten of them." He said as the info ran across his wrist console "Also five human mercs. Heavily armed. Outline suggests vac-proof suits."

"Yeah, but I bet their boots aren't magnetic." Revan chuckled, snapping a clip onto his QuietStrike "Cover me."

Matthews peered through his infrared scope with its thermal imaging system and watched as the lead mercenary placed low-power charges around the door. "Sir, they're going to blow the door…" He warned. The man watched in amazement as Revan _still_ continued forward until he was right up against the door frame.

Revan concentrated and then flicked his hand. There was a _pop_ as three of the four charges were torn from the door and, with their clamps still magnetized, attached themselves to the heads of the nearest three droids.

The fourth one burned out the emergency lock on the door, and a few quick types into his hacking module allowed Revan to open the door with a _hiss_. Before the slab of durasteel had even opened halfway, Revan heaved a flash charge inside before the entire squad ducked as the blinding light went off three times. Matthews and a few of his commandos lobbed a couple of smoke canisters inside the compartment before Revan and Zayne, lightsabers already in hand, charged inside. Se-ril and Opila weren't far behind, Se-ril taking advantage of his combat suit's enhanced strength by twisting the neck of a combat droid 360 degrees, and Opila wielding a lightsaber in one hand and a blaster in the other.

Matthews and his men hadn't even gotten a centimeter down the hall before all the mercenaries were either dead or incapacitated, and the droids reduced to scrapmetal.

"Next time, save some for us ok?" Matthews chuckled as he removed the data core from the shattered chest of a droid and hooking it up to his datapad "You Jedi will put us out of the job." He grinned as he broke through the encryptions. "It seems that the mercenaries are using Sith hardware. Seems that they need this ship and its crew for…raw materials and minor uses…I sure hope that they meant the ship and not the crew when they said raw materials…"

"Sith are Sith. Wouldn't put it past them to take victims to the deep waters and leave them there to see if they can breathe underwater." When all he got were puzzled looks, Se-ril sighed and brought an armored hand to his faceplate "The Sith probably need test subjects. We already saw what they were doing on Ziost."

"Yeah, but we put an end to that little experiment." Rohlan argued "Maybe not the shipyards, but we made sure that the Sith wouldn't be able to use that little plague that they were working on."

"What about the virus that those Sith on Semakh had on them?" Revan said "They never had a chance to pump it into the ventilation system if that was their goal. For all we know, it could probably just be a rage enhancement for their troopers."

"Yeah, but the scientists also said that it could enhance the rage center of a brain to elevate the subject's negative emotions beyond normal reasoning and thought."

"And it also could have a mind-altering effect." Se-ril noted. Revan was about to answer when the frantic voice of Captain Kestrel began talking into his comlink.

"Ge-…Order 8…we're evac-…back to…-st contact with…my men…rest are…signal's all messed u-…crawling in venti-…don't…b-bad enough ththththth-that…fight mercs, but…ne-ne-ne-ne-never…ca-ca-can't…" Revan roared in anger as he furiously typed in a few commands. The signal cleared up, but not by much.

"…and we can't seem to…don't know what's happened to…not willing to find…you can hear this, then the…get in is by the secondary...Level 3 Section 43-A…they're at the door…god mother f-…but the code is-…_ejglja…waedff….numblesmush…-static-…_."

"Damn it!" Revan cursed "Son of a…" He threw the comlink at the wall, but Rohlan caught it with a practiced hand before it could shatter.

"Calm down Revan, let's think about this. He might have said General Order 8, and that probably means from the context of the next few words that they're losing ground to something other than the mercenaries…"

"…and I have a pretty good idea what exactly." Matthews cursed "Remember that virus you guys were talking about? Take apart the ammo packs on one of those clankers and tell me what you find." Puzzled, Se-ril tore the ammo and emergency battery pack off of a head-less droid.

"Spare wiring…extra tibanna gas cartridge…muzzle…three fresh Dymac A4 batteries and…this is new." He produced three vials of red liquid, and five blue ones.

[Allow me.] Opila extended a hypo-needle and punctured the top of one of each of the vials.

[Hmm…while the medical droid's body doesn't have equipment as advanced as I'd like…this is a complaint I have stated before (we know, said Se-ril, just continue). Yes, but anyway, the red liquid is indeed the same kind that the assailants on Semakh were carrying, but it's been altered to be dispersed via the injection tube built into each droid's arm. The blue substance is just a mild sedative. The subject will feel slight wooziness and find it hard to concentrate, before lapsing in and out of consciousness for the next several hours.]

"Enough time for the droid to inject its victim with the toxin and let it do…whatever it does." Revan shuddered.

"Oy! As much as I love the nerd-fest going on right now, I'd suggest that you duck unless you're willing to spend time searching for your head!" Rohlan roared, as he grunted and overturned a metal table against a doorway, creating a barricade as a sniper round tore a hole through the wall behind him.

"Everyone find cov-" Revan Force-pulled Matthews to him and fell backwards, taking them both out of the way as two more sniper rounds created new impact craters on the wall.

"This wasn't part of the plan…" Revan began when another round whizzed pass him, but he had enough time to see the shot "…wait, those weren't mercenary shots. Those are disruptor rounds…" He peeked over the barricade long enough to see two disheveled men with disruptor rifles firing at them. Both had a wild fiery look in their eyes, and their irises were tinged with blood. Sweat was pouring from them in voluminous amounts.

"Hold your fire, we're not mercs!" Matthews barked.

"You're here to take us! You want to hurt us! Badbadbadbad….yes, yes, _yes_. Kill them!"

"So much for that approach." Rohlan sighed. A bolt bounced off Zayne's lightsaber and burrowed into his palm "Urgh…alright, mercs are one thing, but being shot by half-dead lunatics-I'll gut the…" In one leap, he cleared the barricade and ran down the length of the hall, his _beskar_ armor taking a grievous toil as he grabbed both men around the neck and rammed each into an opposite wall.

"This was supposed to be a rescue mission. You don't give the people you're supposed to be rescuing a lump the size of an egg on their head!" Revan sighed. He examined one of the bodies "Yep, syringe marks by the carotid artery. These guys have been doped."

"Well, now we know what that drug does to people." Zayne cursed as he cuffed both men to a maintenance ladder. One giggled slightly and earned a cuff to the mouth from Rohlan.

* * *

Two mercenaries were in the crew mess preparing a meal. One was busy chopping up herbs while the other emptied a container of rehydrated chopped up nerf steak into a pot of boiling water.

"Smells good in here." The first merc, a young man in his twenties with a scar running diagonally down his face, growled playfully at the brunette female guard who sauntered in.

"Shouldn't you be on guard duty?" The scarred man's companion asked, a bulky man with tattoos covering his entire body.

"Nah, nothing to report. The prisoners are all doped and secured. Wow, that really is something." She ducked as Scarface swung a ladle at her while she happily munched on a slice of bread smothered in meat and sauce.

"Even so, you should have gone back to your quarters." Tattoo growled, as he grabbed the ladle from Scarface just before the young man hit the container of salt. "Watch it boy! You're not at home, and we don't have an abundance of salt sitting outside the door."

"It's a spice farm you idiot!" Scarface snapped back. Brunette sighed and discharged a single shot from her patrol rifle. That stopped their arguing.

"I thought I heard something coming from this area of the ship." Brunette said to Tattoo "A sort of burning sound, like rubber rubbing against rubber with a slight metal screech added to it…"

"You're crazy. This vessel is top-of-the-line. There's no way that the ship would be aching and creaking. We have the best systems, and…" Tattoo froze when he too heard the whine of something cutting through metal. Unconsciously fingering the submachine gun clipped to his belt, he advanced toward the bulkhead wall, cautiously and slowly. Brunette brought her assault rifle up to bear while Scarface dropped behind a counter and snapped together the two parts of his pulse rifle.

"Someone's cutting into the hull in the next room…" Tattoo whispered as he put his ear to the wall "God, I think they got Maters! Hold on…it sounds like they're sealing the breach…shit, they're coming down the corridor!" He flattened against the wall and edged to the door frame. For a few agonizing seconds, there was the sound of clicking and fingers brushing against metal before an audible _ping_ and the door slid open.

The first thing that greeted the rushed Juhani was a blow to the face, knocking her off her feet and she landed back-first on the ground.

Jarael dodged Tattoo's next strike and using him as a shield, ran toward Brunette and Scarface, who mercilessly fired into Tattoo's armored bulk to try and stop Jarael. The young Arkanian offshoot heaved Tattoo's body over the counter, pinning Scarface down. She kicked the muzzle of Brunette's gun away from her, and the still-firing weapon left a trail of smoking holes in the pot of soup, as well as exposing several cables, and melting the plastoid covering of one. Soup began gushing out of the pot and onto the floor, where it hit the exposed cables, shorting out the lights.

Growling in anger, Brunette, in the flickering light, grabbed Jarael and smashed her face down on the table "How do you like me now, bitch?" She screeched, pulling Jarael up to smash her face again, but Jarael twisted Brunette's arm around and shoved her into the puddle of soup.

"Crispy, if it isn't too much trouble." Jarael said coldly, as arcs of electricity coiled up Brunettes's arm and spread to the rest of her body. Brunette shrieked and writhed for a few wild moments before gasping and going still, save for the occasional twitch.

Breathing heavily, Jarael hauled up Scarface and shoved him against the wall "Hi, I'm Jarael. What's the quickest route to the bridge?" She asked softly, a hint of menace in her voice.

"Why would I tell you you pale bi-ARRRGHHH!" Jarael had just discharged two shots into his left knee-cap.

"Let's try that again. Hi, I'm Jarael. What's the quickest-"

"ALRIGHT! _Gasp_, take the maintenance corridor behind me until you reach a junction with blue markings. Take the right corridor and keep walking until you reach another junction, and then take the left corridor. It joins up with the main corridors and places you right near the bridge. I swear!"

"Thanks." With that, Jarael bashed her head into his, knocking him out.

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said 'a stealthy entrance'" Juhani groaned as she massaged her swollen jaw. She winced as her hand brushed the swelling welt just below her lower lip.

Behind them, Dustil walked in, his boots echoeing heavily against the metal floor as he struggled under the weight of an unconscious mercenary. "_Gasp_, hit this one in the refresher, _wheeze_, luckily he still had his clothes on…why do I always get the mercs that, armor or no armor, are always the heaviest?"

Jarael ignored him and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek in thanks. Dustil blushed and dropped the merc, who grunted as he hit the ground head-first.

"Alright, stop toying with the boy Jarael." Juhani sighed. She cuffed the two mercs to each other and gagged them.

"The mercs should have detected us by now, if they haven't already." Dustil grunted, as he began running his hands along the wall "A hull breach isn't exactly your average space debris scratch mark-ah, here we go…" He pulled out his lightsaber and burrowed it half-way into a depression on the wall. The laser grid blocking access to the security booth at the end of the room shut down.

"Rowling, Sanders! Stay here and watch Jedi Onasi's back. We'll head to the bridge." Juhani informed two elite commandos, who saluted and took up flanking positions near the two doors, while Dustil settled into the small closet-like security booth and began hacking into various systems.

"Juhani, there's a guard a few meters down the tunnel. He's facing the other way, and I think I can distract him with a…" The video monitor turned black for a moment as Juhani threw the guard's face against it. "…or you could always do that."

"Keep on talking and see what happens." Juhani growled.

"I've tapped into the security cameras and system commands." Dustil reported, ignoring her "I think I can override the security systems for the next few emergency bulkheads, but be quick. There's another talented slicer monitoring the system, and I don't think that I can avoid his gaze if I have to do something drastic to save your skins."

The tunnel came to a small room, with repair stations lining the walls and a single maintenance shaft entrance on the wall. Juhani glanced around before pulling the cover open and crawling inside. The shaft was around three and a half feet high, and Juhani had to bend down when walking with her legs unbent. "Hey Dustil, think you can cool the temperature in here?" She asked as she wiped sweat from her brow.

"No chance. There are heat monitors…uh, I'd hold a moment if I were you." Dustil said, scratching his head "There are heat monitors in those shafts to monitor if a power surge comes through the system. Pretty high-tech for mercenaries. But they're also there in case a rodent or intruder boards while the ship's at a port. The only thing that could get past those sensors, which run throughout the entire system by the way, would be a droid." Suddenly, on the monitor, a red beacon next to Jarael's head began flashing. "Crap."

"What the hell just happened?" Juhani screamed into her headset.

"Whoever's monitoring the system managed to break through the virus I placed on your area to hide your thermal signatures and they've been able to detect you…"

"Everybody out!" Juhani yelled. The entire team made for the door.

"No don't!-" Phiran's foot came in contact with a green laser beam low to the ground. Klaxon alarms began blaring as a 3-inch sheet of durasteel slammed down in the shaft entrance. Raging with anger and frustration, Juhani slammed her fist into the slab, but only succeeded in bruising her hand and leaving only a slight dent on the door.

"You just tripped a security laser. The maintenance shaft network is going on maximum lockdown." Suddenly, all of Dustil's monitors turned to static. One of them was replaced by the howling maw of a rakghoul "That's not good."

Back in the maintenance shaft, things were getting hectic. First, the lights went out, and the dim red emergency lights cast an eerie shadow on everything. Second, the team heard the _clang-clang_ of metal feet moving towards them. But with the tens of tunnels running through the entire corvette, it was impossible to tell from which direction they were coming from.

Worst of all, Juhani saw mist every time she breathed out "A few minutes ago, it was steaming in here. Now it's getting arctic?"

"That'd be the auto cryogenic safety protocol. Freeze everything in the room so as to leave it untouched…except for any organic being not wearing a thermal suit." Dustil said over the comm, as he tried and tried again and again to rehack into the system.

"And we had to shed our heavy vac suits, didn't we?" Phiran cursed.

"There's only one thing I can do…" Dustil said slowly.

"Well, what is it?" Juhani asked impatiently.

"I..I could try and hook myself up to the interface and attempt to take control of the ship in cyberspace…"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Phiran barked "I may not be in control of this mission, but as head of the Torrent, and seeing as you enlisted with the Torrent, I forbid you to do so Lieutenant!"

"Lieutenant?" Juhani asked Phiran, eyebrows raised.

"It's a recent thing…I don't need this…look, I'm sure that I can override the ship's AI personality." Dustil sighed, self-consciously hiding his face in his hands even though there was no one else in the control booth but him.

"The tech to integrate oneself with a cyber-interface is still experimental! You don't know if you can break through the firewalls on that thing!" Phiran argued "There's no way in hell-" The transmission turned to static "DAMN IT!"

"What happened?" Juhani asked, as the team took up positions by the shallow alcoves in the walls.

"He just cut the transmission. The fool's going to link with the AI, and I hope that some heavenly being is watching over him when he does."

[ bloooo?]

"We don't have a heavenly body available, but we do have a being the size of my luggage container extending his link arm into the computer socket behind me. Does that help?"

* * *

Revan hated killing youth. Even during the Mandalorian Wars, when that youth had been Mandalorian Shock Troopers, he had taken no pleasure in slaughtering them by the thousands, even if it was on a field of battle.

Now, these mercenaries were no older than Mission or Dustil. He suffered each time he was forced to do more than inflict minor amputations or even just a Force-shove into a closet which he would then lock. Too many had the faces of those he slaughtered as a Sith. The Corellian enclave…he had led that charge personally. The cadre of young Jedi had gone all out to hold the world after the one senior Master had been slain by Revan, but all were wiped out by the blades of Revan and Malak.

Luckily, it seemed that the mercs had thrown all of their young inexperienced troops at Revan's team first, so he didn't have to worry once Zayne had slapped stun-cuffs on the last group and left them in a crew bunk with some food and water, plus, and Revan thought this was a little obnoxious, a hand-held gaming device.

"The commander of the mercenary assault's name is Gerant." Zayne said once he locked the door "One of those guys told me that and more…" He brought out a holoprojector on which he had uploaded all the information from the mercenaries' datapads.

"The captain of the Dark Eclipse vessel…he's Raen Zorrac. Wanted in seven systems for various degrees of crime, ranging from petty theft to orchestrating city-wide bombings. He's responsible for the murder of three Torrent vessels' crews, and personally slew twenty Torrent Jedi Savants in combat. Has the lightsabers to prove it. He also may have some Force-potential."

"That would explain his luck." Se-ril said dryly.

Revan sighed "What about this guy Gerant?"

"He's one of Zorrac's most trusted lieutenants…both are cousins and distant relatives of Krempomere. He also might have some Force-training but sources aren't so sure on that matter."

"Why?"

"You've met plenty of people who fight with lightsabers but aren't Force-sensitve, right?"

"So he's just a baby with a hot stick?" Revan asked dryly. Rohlan stifled a cough.

"That could be taken more than one way sir." Revan glared at him, unamused, and opened the door, and walked straight something metal.

"This is…" He fell backwards, rubbed his head, and glanced upwards "…shit." The heavy pyro-combat droid glared at him with its single red eye, focusing in on him through distorted images, before raising its boxy armory of an arm.

"Double shit!" Revan turned around and crawled as quickly as he could across the floor in a panic.

The droid extended its other arm, and Revan's lightsabers and foldable rocket launcher were torn from his utility belt and imbedded themselves on the droid's other forearm. The same went for the rest of the team's weapons.

"Everyone move-" Matthew's words were cut off mid-sentence as the droid picked him up and threw him across the room, where he collapsed with one leg twisted painfully awkward.

Opila, being made of metal, was pulled towards the droid's arm, but the droid moved it out of the way, just far enough for Opila to not stick to it, but close enough that he was still in its magnetic pull, and he was carried by the magnetic field to the corridor behind the droid, where a flurry of blaster bolts cratered his torso and limbs.

Rohlan managed to let loose the single rocket on his wrist launcher before he was dragged forward, but the droid simply caught it and crumpled it before throwing it aside where it exploded.

Two curved sections extended from the arm, wrapped themselves around the weapons, and then the magnetic fields dropped, and the now-complete safebox dropped to the floor with the team's weapons still inside.

"Great, now we're weaponless!" Rohlan growled, as a stream of bullets tore through the crate where his head had been a few minutes earlier.

"Not so!" Se-ril, who Revan had been wondering why he looked so much in pain, opened the armorweave duster he had donned a few compartments back from the body of one of the mercs. Inside the duster were two pockets. In both were two small holdout blasters, and in the left, a quarter-charge thermal grenade.

"Great, now we've got some toy pistols and a match!" Rohlan said with sarcasm so obvious it was killing him.

One of Matthew's men, a young inexperienced marine, grabbed the thermal grenade and lobbed it at the droid in a fit of panic, and before Matthews could throw him to the ground, a round of concussion shots blasted through his left arm and chest. The grenade was thrown from his bleeding hand and another shot from the droid detonated it, incinerating the young man's forearm, which was in the small blast radius and sending him screaming to the floor.

"Great, now we're DEAD!" Rohlan groaned, as he put his hand out and had some fresh streaks dented into his _beskar_ as several rounds of ammo tore into it.

Two marines died when a exo-skeleton beam above them fell on their heads. Another attempted an ill-advised throw of the single sonic charge every marine still had, but the droid had enhanced sound-dampeners, and all it did was make him a target…for three seconds before he fell back, a cratered lump.

An appendage flipped out from each of the droid's arms, and puffs of highly flammable gas shot out, which burst into flames when they came in contact with the sparks emitting from the antennas on the rim of each appendage. Semi-streams of fire raked the team, forcing them against the wall in an effort to stay clear of the flames.

"We can't…" Revan stopped. Like in the construction bay on Ziost, this droid had cylinders to house the gas. They were much smaller of course, but their location was much more convenient…each was located on the sides of the lower torso.

"Here. Cover me!" Revan said, pressing one of the holdout blasters into Matthews's hands and the other into Rohlan's hands. Then, both he and Se-ril leaped out of their hiding spots, Revan trusting the shielded armorweave cloak he had and Se-ril relying on the duster to make it past. Both also created Force barriers to shield themselves.

"YEEEAAARRRGHHHH!" Revan ran forward with Force-enhanced speed and smashed his right gauntlet into one of the tanks while Se-ril sliced a thin line in the other with his tiny foot talons.

"Fire, now!" Revan roared, rolling both him and Se-ril aside just as Rohlan and Matthews emptied their ammunition into the gas cylinders. Two explosions occurred on either side of the droid. It seized up for a moment before crazily stomping backwards. Then, the transparisteel on its eye shattered and sparks writhed all over its body before it collapsed blackened to the floor.

Not wasting a second, Rohlan fired off his last shot at the magnetic seal of the canister holding their weapons. When it snapped open, Se-ril, Zayne, Mekel, and Thalia grabbed their lightsabers and sliced through the mercenary team outside and retrieved Opila.

Revan took count of their team. Six commandos lay dead on the floor, two more were too injured to fight, and Matthews was seated on a stretcher while Zayne attached a splint to his leg.

[Correction: The shell of this droid is made of 54% plastoid.]

No one had escaped without injury, and Revan was doing his best to ignore the stinging pain of the minor burns he had sustained all over his arms.

Only Rohlan, Zayne, Se-ril, Mekel and Thalia were in fighting shape besides himself. Opila had two holes blown through his chest and wiring peaked out through his left arm, but he was currently ripping off pieces of armor and circuitry from the downed droid and fusing them to his own frame. A couple more commandos were also barely able to hold a rifle without shaking, but they had volunteered to stay and tend to the wounded as well as set up a hacking station here to send data back to the _Ebon Hawk_.

[I suggest that we continue up to the bridge. Is this one ok?] Opila suggested to Revan, showing him a black section of armor plating. He had already fitted a red sheath over his left arm and replaced the forearm with the cannon mount of the combat droid.

"Try and find something not so burnt. This one's warped." Revan tore off the neck armor of the droid "Use this." The Shard nodded and began welding the armor onto his own. Revan pulled out his map of the freighter and began examining it again…

* * *

**1 hour later**

The team emerged in the observation room, common in most refurbished mining vessels. Originally an ore scanner room, it had been adapted to the needs of the merchant crew, with large transparisteel windows, a weapons table, a holoprojector that used to display ore readings, and elevated side walkways.

"Ok. We've traveled the length of the cargo modules, and almost the entire crew module…"

"_So where is everyone_?"

Rohlan cursed as the sound of running feet reached their ears. "You just had to ask, didn't you?" He growled at Revan, as combat droids and mercenaries filled the large observation room. At the elevated platform in the front of the room stood a man wearing armor and white-and-black robes. At his waist hung several silver tubes.

"Gerant, I presume?" Revan said slowly. The others, minus Rohlan, activated their lightsabers, some swinging them threateningly at the mercenaries. Rohlan pulled out two automatic pistol carbines, pointing one at Gerant and the other at a merc who seemed particularly agigated, until the pistol was in his face.

"You presume correctly." Gerant had a fair complexion with long blonde hair tied up behind his head. His face was scarred with three diagonal marks, indicating that he had fought and won against some beast or creature. "You must be Revan."

"And how do you know that?" Revan challenged, fearing that he already knew the answer as he felt a familiar presence slither into the room.

"Me." Darth Acheron removed her hood, revealing her as a Sith, not the mercenary she pretended to be.

"Acheron. Feran." Revan nodded to another young man standing in the corner "Oh how the mighty have fallen. Humble shame looks good on you. Did the Emperor kick you off his 'Me like' list?"

"Funny. Haha." Feran growled "How 'bout I take that bitch you got and show her who's boss?" Mekel turned purple in anger at the insult aimed at his lover.

"Haha. I can laugh too mama's boy." Mekel sqeezed off a shot at Feran, who dodged and let it hit the wall.

The mercenaries raised their weapons, but Gerant waved them down.

"Krempomere's getting a lot of money out of this deal." Gerant explained to the team "He turns you over to the Sith alive, he gets paid. Anyone else is just…collateral."

Revan was silent for a moment. Then, very slowly, he walked forward until he was in front of the platform. He leaped up and was standing face-to-face with Gerant.

"Don't try anything stupid you bastard." Gerant growled "I got fifty trained killers with their weapons aimed at you." Revan just smiled.

"Tell me, do you know why most military vessels have little to no large windows like this one, or windows in general?" Revan asked, pointing at the two transparisteel observation windows. Rohlan and the others began catching on, and unnoticed, began backing towards the door and quietly activating their magnetic boots. "No one? Acheron, how about you?"

"No. Care to enlighten me?" Acheron asked sarcastically.

"Alright. You asked for it." Revan telekinetically threw and burst the small canister of fuel that he had in his utility belt at Acheron. The Sith Lady managed to use the Force to drive the fuel splatter away from her, but that was just what Revan wanted. The splatter hit several large fuel drums and ammunition crates, and three shots from Mekel's pistol sent the entire thing up in smokes. "How's that for enlightenment?"

Rohlan roared and did three things at once. With his left foot, he kicked his vac-helmet up and it landed neatly on his neck, while with his right, he kicked the button for the door, and the rest of the team backed into the corridor. Finally, firing with both pistol carbines, he shattered the transparisteel windows.

The mercenaries closest to the windows screamed as they were sucked out before the armored bulkheads slammed down, crushing some mercs. Sadly, only around half of the mercenaries were killed, and now Revan and Rohlan were surrounded by 26 angry men and a score of battle droids with their weapons trained on them.

"Enough of this charade." Gerant growled, as he shivered from the loss of air "Take them." Before Revan or Rohlan could move, they were assaulted from all sides by stun bolts and electro-shock blasts. Rohlan, whose armor protected him somewhat, kept on firing at the mercs as the darkness crashed in on him. Revan deflected a few bolts and made for Acheron, but fell under the onslaught.

"Secure them and prepare for transport to Dezhagon." Acheron said coldly "I will _interview_ them there. The crew of this vessel should make interesting test subjects for Lord Harandos…"

* * *

Please R & R!


	29. Chapter 29: Prison Break

Hope you enjoy this. Took a while to write.

**

* * *

Mercenary Command vessel**

**20 minutes after Sith virus disables vessel's weapons and propulsion systems before Sith-captured freighter **_**Freedom's Way**_**, along with newly repaired gunboat and Revan and Rohlan, leave the command ship dead in the water**

"You lost Revan and Rohlan, and nearly lost the rest of the strike team as well!" Juhani berated the four very abused-looking Jedi and a container containing a shard of crystal while its body was being refurbished.

"With Revan in their hands, the Sith have the advantage!"

"At least they didn't capture all of us." Mekel said under his breath. Matthews, sitting in a hoverchair, whacked the Jedi with the butt of his rifle.

"Enough of that soldier." Then he levitated forward and whacked Juhani as well. Everyone present held their breaths. Hitting an angry Cathar was not recommendable if one wanted to emerge unscathed. Matthews ignored the livid look on Juhani's face "The big question here is this: How did the Sith know that we would be here?"

"They can't have guessed it…there are too many variables. No, they were helped. Someone on the inside. Friends…and one enemy, we have a traitor in our midst." Everyone gasped and glanced at each other.

"Hold on." Se-ril stepped forward "Traitors aren't the only way that the Sith can learn things. For one, Acheron never mentioned the Shatterpoint tech or the _Devoltar_, and if there was a traitor, then why wouldn't they mention the Torrent's most crucial weapon?" When no one answered, he continued on, boldened "Who knows what the Sith infiltration force was able to input inside our mainframe before Revan incinerated them? A tracking tag could have easily been implanted on any one of us during our various confrontations with the Sith? And don't you think that Jedi would be able to sense a traitor?"

"Well, not exactly…" Se-ril shot a look of venom at Thalia "…most of the time."

"Traitor or not, we have to rescue Revan and Rohlan before Acheron and the Sith garrison on Dezhagon finish with them and ship them off to Dromund Kaas." Dustil protested, leaping up before crashing back down. His head was in bandages and Opila from his container was monitoring his health. He had still been inside the cyber-world of the network when the Sith virus had activated, and though he had managed to return to his mind, the strain of it had taken its toll.

[Dustil, I don't recommend any more heroic actions like that in the near future. You should count yourself out of action. Any increased emotional disturbance could cause severe damage to your brain or heart.] The voice synthesizer next to Opila's crate said.

"Ok, first things first…we need to rebuild your body. Talking to a cylinder is just plain unsettling." Thalia said after a long silence.

As if in response, HK-47, Aurek, and Besh came in, dragging a large pod. "And here it is." Hudrow chuckled before he began installing Opila inside his new sleek battlefield med droid.

"Knowing the techniques in Dezhagon, I'd say that they'll keep Revan and Rohlan there for at least two months…four months at the most." Phiran said.

"Demja has cruel methods of torture." Matthews shuddered "I should know."

"You only experienced a week of it." Phiran said to Matthews "Some of our best operatives were there for a year or more. Never were the same afterward."

"What's Dezhagon like?" Jarael asked curiously.

"The whole planet's a hellhole…" Phiran said. He brought up an image of the planet on the main holoprojector.

* * *

_"At its highest recorded temperature, Dezhagon was 18 degrees Fahrenheit. At its lowest, at night, wind-chill can drop the temperature from -187 to a freezing -359 Fahrenheit at the poles, and since it's literally a land of the midnight sun, the sun still shines through the never-ending cloud layer, so the closer you get to the equator the warmer it gets, but not by much. It's still -48 degrees at night there, but almost all of the settlements and bases of the Dark Eclipse are located there. They built a metal band that covers the entire equator, and there's hundreds of thousands of guard towers, fortresses, buildings, communities, and millions of guards and soldiers. It's no wonder it's called the Ring."_

_ "Each prison contains thousands of people kidnapped, captured, or taken for bounties by the Dark Eclipse. They're separated from the rest of the Ring by 10 miles of electrified minefield in all directions. And if that wasn't enough, the glacier parts that aren't booby-trapped by mines are 100-meter drops with caves that can go on for miles."_

_ "There's only one way into the prisons, and that's a huge transport tube that contains guard walkways, security stations, guard quarters, armories, and a transport rail for carrying prisoners or riot troopers."_

_ "The Ring itself is a haven for all things connected to the underworld. Bars, black market dealers, prostitutes, crime lords, mercenaries, you name it. Like on the planet Taris, the richer upper-class 'nobles', if you can call them that, those self-serving rich barves, live on the upper levels, in the center band of the Ring. The edge of either side of the ring is just miles of defenses and military complexes. However, they don't really have that great a security system when it comes to freighters or hijacked vessels docking in the lower levels…"

* * *

_

A black banged-up _Cutlass_-class corvette with an odd U-shaped vessel in the top docking clamp touched down in Hangar TH-X11, just next to Military Hangar 38. The hangar guards held up their weapons nervously as a dark-skinned man wearing a pieced-together armor suit with what looked like a bloody hand-print on the left pectoral descended the boarding ramp, followed by several well-armed and dangerous looking droids, as well as a cadre of the meanest looking scum this side of the galaxy.

"Never seen that model of an assistance droid." One of the guards said, pointing to a small grey droid following behind the man "Customized?"

"In a sense." The man growled. The droid extended a probe and a bolt of electricity shocked the guard, who stepped back and let the group pass.

* * *

_"Be aggressive with anyone, otherwise you look weak. Once we're in, scout out the area. Visit some local bars. Get to know the crowd. Any potential informants may be of use. Intervene if you sense evil intent in someone. Often, the best informants are those with a good heart and clean lifestyle. They're often ignored by even the most careful of men…"

* * *

_

A young scruffy-looking boy sat by an alleyway, shaking a copper mug for change. Two Dark Eclipse mercs, chatting as they went along, tosses a coin each into his cup before continuing, neither noticing the boy stealthily following them.

"…yeah, a lot more guards are being transferred to the Gate. Probably has something to do with that freighter that came in a week ago…"

"..one of my buddies was there when they landed. Says that there was an entire army there. Even Rael and Gerant! Someone else thinks he saw a Sith…"

"…how many prisoners?"

"That's the thing…just two! They had the whole nine yards, stun-cuffs, restraints, blasters trained to their heads…"

The boy dropped back to a local sidestreet where prostitutes were known to take their customers. A young man dressed in fine-looking robes had a white-skinned girl up against a wall. Both appeared oblivious to the outside world, but the girl slipped a few credits into the boy's pocket and the boy slid a data-recorder into the man's hand.

"I got to admit, this cover sure has its positives…" Zayne chuckled as the boy ran off to boast to his friends about the money he had received. Jarael playfully shoved him before they brought out the data-recorder.

"…_yeah, a lot more guards are being transferred_…"

* * *

_ "There's one main loophole that the Torrent has discovered in Dark Eclipse security. We've rarely been able to utilize it, but with T3 and HK…"

* * *

_

The droid manning the security desk to Saric Warehouse Corp. stood over a console. Two guards watched it closely, as it made erratic movements and its hands shifted back and force. Finally, after a series of garbled sounds, the head exploded.

"Ah, another piece of crap…" One of the guards said. A maintenance worker standing nearby saluted as he was called over by the same guard. "That's the next droid?"

"Actually, the droid has a counterpart." The young man said, before adopting a stance like that of the guards' overseer "Long story short, we're running low on standard droids, so double droids have to do. No complaints, it's for the greater good. Now let me eat my lunch." The guards chuckled and waved the worker to the desk.

"So tell me, how did you do it?" Dustil asked HK-47 under his breath while T3 began scouring scorch marks from the explosion from the walls.

[Amused Explanation: The little trash-bin accessed the droid's higher functions. I simply remotely deleted the droid's ability to type or use any computer interface. That way, its logic center still sent commands, but the droid could no longer carry them out, and the commands kept on piling up until it overloaded from the built-up information.]

* * *

Dustil stealthily pressed a small round sphere to the interior of the droid. "We're done here." He said to the guards. They saluted and one picked up the disabled droid and carried it off in the direction of Military Center K-25.

"This is Onasi-25." Dustil said into his wrist multi-gauntlet once they left the building "The rat is in the house, I repeat, the rat is in the house."

"Roger that." Phiran said from the bridge of the Imperator, the name the crew had given the captured merc vessel. "Activate the RAT."

RAT, or Recon Assault Tracker was a miniscule droid that, when in travel mode, resembled a metal ball. It served as a slicer/surveillance/pre-assault scout for the Torrent, and just a dozen of these little machines could shut down an entire armada in a matter of days if gone undetected.

"RAT's been activated." Hudrow chuckled "Initiating remote AI brain." This RAT had a prototype self AI brain, that allowed it to make split-second decisions where humans were too slow.

RAT popped out of its shell, which folded into semi-body armor. The little droid leaped out of the disabled droid and did a search of its surroundings. On the repair table next to the droid was a small Dark Eclipse version of a DAIS, or Disable Assault Intelligence Sentry, basically a droid the size of a blaster with six flexible legs and two flechet launchers. Approving of it as an appropriate target, the RAT attached itself to the DAIS, melding with the circuitry. Now, with a larger more durable body attached to it, the RAT, using the DAIS's sturdy legs, leaped off the table and over to a console on the wall.

"Dustil here, I'm at Position Alpha, but nothing's…" The door slid open "Thanks RAT."

In one fluid movement, he leaped into the shadows of the dark corridor inside before the door slid shut. Dustil removed his backpack and changed from his dirty maintenance clothing into his tan Jedi dueling robes and harness. Retrieving his blue lightsaber from its inconspicuous place amongst the power packs slung over the bottom of the pack, he set off.

* * *

Meanwhile, security guards were caught off-guard (no pun intended) as five armored figures wielding lightsabers kicked down the door of the security office to K-25, and subsequently slaughtered the guards before removing their helmets.

"I think you went a little overboard on that one Mekel…" Se-ril chuckled.

"I don't like double-chins or those annoying goatees." Mekel shrugged.

"Phiran, we're in…" The alarm bell began ringing "Right on schedule." Three layers of cortosis steel slammed down where the door had been, and if that wasn't enough, ray shields popped up on either side of the layers.

"Prepare yourselves, just like you've trained these last two weeks." All five removed their heavy backpacks, and began forming barricades to the door leading into the complex. Se-ril began assembling the two AI turrets in his pack while Thalia snapped together several sniper rifles.

Mekel and Zayne began arming disruptor mines before telekinetically guiding them out into the corridor. Jarael, while weak in the Force, did what she could to build up the barricade, which, when completed, would make it almost impossible to get to the Jedi's side, but easy enough to get out.

"We're to hold this position until Dustil gets the data…" Mekel began when suddenly, Jarael stifled a scream.

"What is it?" Zaye asked. Jarael pointed to her datapad, where she had hacked the security cameras. On the screen was footage from twenty minutes ago…

"Oh shit…Dustil, abort now! Feran's in the base, I repeat, Feran's…"

* * *

_"…Feran's in the base, he just arrived twenty minutes ago…" _Dustil ducked out of the way as a red blade of plasma shot out at him from the dark. He whirled around, lightsaber lit and in hand, and found himself face-to-face with Darth Feran. The young man chuckled, and attacked Dustil, who was forced on the defensive against the strong fast movements of Feran.

Realizing that he needed to gain ground if he were to survive, Dustil Force-shoved Feran away, and backed into the light of an old bulb above them. However, Feran managed to halt himself, and was ready when _Dustil_ went on the offensive, attempting to Force-shove him, but Dustil easily blocked the effect.

They began exchanging lightning-fast strikes, neither gaining ground, neither giving it either. Finally, Dustil managed to get Feran into a saber-lock, until he was right up in the Sith apprentice's face.

"You…think…you…can…beat…me?" Feran growled.

"…My…master…does…that…often…enough…with…Acheron!" Dustil retorted.

"Brave…words…now….DIE!" Feran kicked out at Dustil without warning. The young Jedi cried out as he hit the floor. He rolled out of the way of Feran's subsequent strike and leaped back up, blocking a second blow.

Both combatants stepped back for a moment, lightsabers pointed towards each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Feran was the first, testing Dustil by prodding his blade, before going into an all-out assault.

Dustil coolly blocked the first strike and sent Feran's sword arm swinging backwards with the rebound. Feran barely had time to catch Dustil's wrist, preventing a swift decapitation.

"Not today." Dustil said quietly. Feran roared and leaped up, rolling over Dustil's back and landing behind him. Dustil whirled around and took advantage of the Sith's momentary unbalance to turn the tables. Stunning Feran with a few lightning-fast blows, he turned the Sith around, and made to impale his back, but Feran kicked out again, and though Dustil wasn't hit, his reflexes caused him to stumble backwards, giving Feran time to recover.

Now, Feran was sparing no quarters. He went after Dustil with everything he had, spraying him with Force lightning and other Force assaults. Finally, Dustil was forced back with Feran's lightsaber right at his stomach, his own lightsaber at his side where Feran had shoved his hand away. Feran growled and feigned a strike a few times. His vanity cost him. Dustil swatted the red blade aside with a quick defensive attack and raised his blade to strike again.

Feran's armored fist connected with Dustil's chest, knocking him off-balance, before he hit him again, forcing Dustil backwards.

Now, both combatants were using both their lightsabers and bodies to fight, grabbing each other, punching, and kicking in addition to attacking and defending with lightsaber blows. However, Feran was the stronger of the duo, and forced Dustil into a saber-lock before kneeing him in the stomach hard enough to make him drop his lightsaber and fall to the ground.

"Admit it, I'm going to kill you just like Acheron will kill your master…" Feran chuckled, revealing _Mantle of the Force_ hanging at his belt. "This was his, no?"

That was his mistake. The sight of Revan's lightsaber hanging at the belt of the apprentice of his most hated enemy caused Dustil's blood to boil and his mind to shriek in fury. Heart pounding, he Force-called his lightsaber into his hand as well as _Mantle of the Force_ and forced the astonished Sith apprentice against the wall. Knowing that the tide was against him, Feran sought to gain the high ground by leaping from the wall to the ceiling and then behind Dustil, who bashed his nose with the hilt of _Mantle of the Force_, before searing his left thigh with his other lightsaber.

Feran howled in pain, before leaping off into the darkness. "Coward! Stay and fight!" Dustil screamed before running after him.

He emerged within a large generator facility, with pipes, generators, water tanks, and more all around him. Though it was brightly lit, there were enough obstacles that he couldn't see Feran. "WHERE ARE YOU?" He roared. His answer came in a tingle of danger behind him, and he barely blocked the strike aimed at his head a second later. He watched as Feran leaped up onto a catwalk high above and came after him in a shower of sparks as he sliced through several cables holding the section of catwalk up, causing Feran to lose his balance and fall below to the floor, where Dustil lost sight of him.

In a fluid movement, Feran reappeared, leaping on top of a water tank. He twirled his blade, cutting a small hole in the tank and letting water seep out onto the floor. Then, he snarled and held his lightsaber sideways, as the hilt extended and a second blade came out.

"Nice trick." Dustil taunted. Then, with Force-enhanced speed, he charged Feran and the two combatants began fighting again. Dustil swung with both blades, catching Feran on each end, forcing him into a defensive stance while Dustil hammered away at him.

* * *

Opila hated taking the lives of innocents, and while these guards hardly counted as innocent, they were just workers, and probably had families.

HK and walked over as soon as the last guard fell to Opila's practiced Djem So strike. Aurek and Besh prodded the bodies to make sure that they were dead. 3C, who was the last of the group, gave a happy greeting to T3, who replied mournfully. He knew something had gone wrong.

[Phiran just radioed.] Opila explained [The diversion team's doing their job, but Dustil's caught up fighting Acheron's apprentice, who apparently was here to watch the interrogation of Rohlan today.]

[Inferred Conclusion: So it falls to us droids to steal the information on where my master and the Mandalorian meatbag are being cruelly tortured, sliced open but not killed, electrocuted daily, injected with-]

[Bloo-bleep…deet?]

[Shocking Answer: I am not envisioning myself doing that to the Dark Eclipse meatbags doing that to my masters! For one thing, I would shoot them between the legs first!]

Opila sighed and opened the door to the main entrance of K-25. [Let's go.]

Inside the massive entrance forum, the guards and officers heard a rumbling noise like thunder. "Probably another avalanche on the Kartin Rift." A captain chuckled to the officer sitting next to him. Then he turned to find two lieutenants making out "No displays of affection while on duty! For that, you can clean…" A very loud beep silenced him. Another beep followed, followed by another. The interval between each sound was getting smaller and smaller, and some of the more experienced officers and guards began backing away from the main door toward the turbolifts to the hangar and potential escape craft…

_**WHIR-RUMP! **_The doors flew off their hinges.

Men and women screamed as through the smoke, four hulking automaton shapes stomped into the room, streaming blasterfire willy-nilly. All weapons were set on repeating, and many guards were cut down before they could even raise their weapons.

Behind them, T3 and 3C plugged into terminals and activated the emergency sprinklers on the ceiling above the guards who were protecting the officers hammering at the turbolaser and stairwell doors, which T3 had locked.

[Now!] Opila ordered. Aurek and Besh rolled forward and shot twin arcs of lightning at the gathering pool of water, frying the guards standing in it. Everyone started screaming and dropped to the floor.

[Insincere Reassurance: These droids will not harm you as long as you stay on the ground with your hands in the air and all weapons emptied of any ammunition. Unnecessary Addendum: The same does not go for this droid-]

[HK!]

[Weary Resignation: Very well. I will not harm you so long as you do as I previously said. Hopeful Query: Do not pay attention to my orders. _Please_ pick up your weapons.]

Sadly for HK, all the fight left the remaining officers and guards once they saw the two astromech droids activate the facility's own squad of security droids, which formed a ring around the survivors.

[Aurek and Besh, stay here and guard this scum.] Opila said with obvious disgust. He had taken time to scan over the codex on Dezhagon. Two of the cowering men had badges indicating the amount of homeless children that they had "cleansed" from the streets, and it took all of his willpower not to whip out his lightsaber and draw and quarter them. But they had a mission to complete. [HK and T3, head to the primary data core and retrieve what we need. 3C and I will take the secondary data core and install the virus.] The virus which he talked about was created by Dustil and Mekel so that they could gain access to the security systems of whatever prison Revan and Rohlan were being held in, and aid the team when it initiated the main phase of its rescue mission.

While the security droids locked the Dark Eclipse employees inside a food storage room, HK and T3 took the turbolift up while Opila carried 3C into a vent on the wall next to them.

* * *

**Maintenance Bay 1138**

Dustil was blinking sweat out of his eyes and ignoring the rest pouring down his face. Feran was far more skilled than him in lightsaber combat, but Dustil had other tricks up his sleeves. When wandering with Selene, the pair had to learn to defend themselves against street gangs and other menaces, learning to fight with fist, foot, and sometimes, even face. They also were proficient in fighting with blasters and quarterstaffs.

Dustil also knew that environment was a key part in one-on-one duels. The large bay provided enough platforms for him to leap around, but the same went for Feran. But Feran didn't know how to really _use_ the environment, which Dustil proved when he sliced a pipe, sending steam into Feran's face and momentarily blinding him.

He followed up the attack by tearing off a valve cap from a pipe and hurling it at Feran, who sliced it in two before blasting Dustil with Force lightning. Dustil deflected the bolts with his lightsabers crossed, sending it arcing back towards Feran who caught it on one of the blades of his lightsaber.

"Give up Sith, we're evenly matched." Dustil suggested. Feran just chuckled.

"You think I've been standing around toying with you all this time? No…just look behind you." He lowered his lightsaber. Dustil cautiously turned around. At the end of the room stood 3 Sith, two wielding single blades and one with duel blades.

"Oh Sithspit!" Dustil ran forward and vented his anger and frustration at the ambush into his blows, slicing the emitter off one end of Feran's hilt and bisecting the other with both blades. Finally, he leaped up and planted a dropkick right on the Sith Apprentice's temple, and Feran crumpled to the floor.

"Who's toying with who now?" Dustil roared. The three Sith answered by raising their blades and charging Dustil.

* * *

The positive aspects of being in a droid body meant that your head could turn 360 degrees, as Opila reminisced as he extended his neck through the hole where the grate had been, glanced momentarily down on the floor where it had landed, and made sure no one was there. The guards had left a moment before to combat several intruders, intruders meaning HK-47, T3-M4, and the Jedi strike team. HK was _supposed_ to be taking a stealthy route, but it didn't surprise Opila when he heard radio chatter a few grates back. Typical assassin droid.

[3C, begin uploading the data…] Opila said, as 3C rolled to the end of the hallway and plugged into the data core. Opila's attention was fixed on a certain maintenance bay marked 1138 below the suspended hallway. Through the full-glass walls, Opila saw Darth Feran fall unconscious to the floor, and Dustil whirl around. Why was he…?

That was when Opila saw movement behind two adjoining tanks and realized that there were a number of Sith charging towards Dustil. [Huh…what is it with Revan and those he travels with always having to have me pull them out of danger? Ziost, the nebula, I better start keeping score and asking for payment. He cut a circle into the glass with his laser scalpel and snapped together his sniper rifle.

* * *

Below, Dustil was fighting for his life when suddenly, one of the Sith's head exploded. The fight paused for a moment as all combatants glanced up at Opila, who simply ejected the casing and fired again, hitting another Sith in the knee. Dustil ran forward and ran him through before the Sith could recover.

The last Sith deflected the next shot back at Opila, who simply moved out of the way and fired again. Dustil ran forward and engaged the Sith, who, somehow, was able to deflect bolts and duel Dustil simultaneously.

Suddenly, Opila's firing paused for a moment, and then resumed _behind_ Dustil. Dustil leaped out of the Sith's next strike and turned to see Feran running for cover, his lightsaber on the ground in two smoking pieces. Opila had seen Feran get up to ambush Dustil and blasted his lightsaber in two. Another shot did the same for the last Sith's lightsaber. The last Sith and Feran grouped together and faced Dustil, who stood at the ready with both blades aimed towards them, panting heavily. Finally, Feran did a passable salute without his weapon followed by the other Sith. Dustil chuckled and saluted before leaping up. "Until we meet again Feran." He called down before joining Opila.

"You'll never rescue your friends!" Feran called back "And the next time we meet, it will be to the death!"

"I look forward to watching you die!" Dustil said before blasting the ceiling with green Force lightning. Feran and the last Sith looked up just in time to see a large chunk of permacrete drop down toward them. Feran leaped out of the way, but the other Sith wasn't so lucky.

[Was that really necessary?] Opila asked as Dustil tied 3C-FD back into the rig on the Shard's back.

"No, but it was fun." Dustil chuckled "Now let's get the others out of here."

* * *

The once pristine corridor was in flames, panels shredded open by incendiary charges and stray shots. Exposed wiring hisses and the lights flickered. Blood dripped into the holes on the floor, occasionally hitting the wires and singing them.

Strewn throughout the corridor were the bodies of over thirty guards and officers, some lying in a position that meant a cold-blooded execution to the head. Three lay against the wall, gaping holes in their foreheads. Another five were scattered all over the place, their arms hanging from wiring on the ceiling, a couple of legs flopped out of tears in the walls, and so on.

One of the bodies shifted. The last surviving security guard stifled a shriek as he tried not to look at his blasted legs. Hoping that the devil that killed them had left, he raised his head.

At the end of the doorway, a black outline against the blood-tinged lights ejected the tibanna gas cartridge from its rifle and inserted another. [Proud Statement: HK-47 is the best in the galaxy. Though next time I should take out their knees first.] With that, he took off the guard's head in one shot.

"Was that really necessary?" Mekel said in digust, examining the carnage as he popped up from the barricade on the other end of the corridor.

[Annoyed Suggestion: How about, oh thank you HK-47, best of all droids-Sudden Self-Interruption: HIT ME WITH THAT ELECTRO-TORCH AND I WILL END YOU LITTLE TRASHBIN!-for saving my worthless meatbag sack and the meatbag sacks of the meatbag Jedi around me who are thinking meatbag things like "Oh, we're going to die, someone will kill my poor meatbag body!"]

"Could you say 'meatbag' any less in a sentence?"

[Matter-of-factly: No. Now, would you all like to move into the corridor, or would you like that incoming gunship to destroy as well as the rest of the room?]

The Jedi turned to see a gunship with two pairs of V-shaped wings approach the building. Suddenly, a green light began flashing on each of their comlinks. "Move it!" Mekel ordered, clearing the barricade in one leap and running towards HK with the others hot on his heels.

Three missiles were launched from the gunship's projectile tube and blew the wall open. As the gunship moved to hover next to the smoking hole, the wall of the main hold retracted to reveal a battered Dustil sitting in his crash-webbing. "Well?" He asked impatiently "Local D-Sec isn't going to be held up long with that proxy we used."

The other Jedi leaped into the shuttle. HK was the last to leave, and if Opila, who was at the controls, didn't know better, he would think that the assassin droid was almost reluctant to go without taking some holos of the destruction he had created. As it turned out, HK grabbed T3 and made him make a holo-recording of the carnage before dropping the irate droid on the bay floor as the main hold closed up and the gunship began its long journey to rescue the Prodigal Knight.

* * *

**Coruscant**

**Bastila Shan's apartment**

**0300 hours**

She couldn't remember the last time she had slept a full night. Most women would have been driven crazy, but all she saw in his face was his father.

Bastila held the cooing Trask after another bout of midnight shrieking. Carth, who had been over the day earlier, jokingly suggested that she reinforce the nursery with sound-suppressing plates because people were going to think that the fire alarm was sounding.

Trask reached for the holo on the bedside table, a determined look on his infant face. Despite his youth, he had a strong connection with the Force, as shown when he Force-called his favorite stuffed bantha into his hand a couple of days ago.

Bastila sighed and held Trask in one arm while she took the holo in the other. The 3-D image hovering above the projector switched between a group of happy looking individuals standing on top of an orange-and-grey light freighter and two Jedi, standing in the Room of a Thousand Fountains with a loving look in their eyes.

Bastila put down the holo and, ignoring Trask's disappointed whine, picked up a triangular-shaped holo-projector. On it, contained hundreds of conversations that T3 had recorded during the _Ebon Hawk_'s many adventures.

Trask pointed excitingly to the man in this particular recording. One sound kept on coming from his little lips:

"Da…da!"

Bastila smiled "Yes, that's daddy. This was on Taris, a world filled with all sorts of exciting people."

Trask sighed contently and fell asleep in her arms. Bastila gazed adoringly at her infant son and turned back to the holo-recording. This one was made right after Revan freed her from the Vulkars.

_"It couldn't have been an easy task to find me there. Yet somehow you managed. You also avoided detection by the Sith, discovered I was a Vulkar prisoner, gained sponsorship for the race and became Taris swoop champion. That's quite a resume." Bastila said to Revan in the abandoned apartment. Revan, then Milo, chuckled and swung his vibro-blade experimentally._

_ "And rescued the damsel in distress. Don't forget about that." He joked._

Bastila sniffed as a tear came down her cheeks. Back then it was so…easy. Fighting enemies side-by-side. The _Ebon Hawk_. But now things were different. Jolee was dead, Revan, the droids, and the _Ebon Hawk_ were gone, Mission and Zaalbar were on Kashyyyk, though Mission had taken a leave of absence as ambassador to meditate on her actions on the planet of Corellia. Juhani had disappeared to who-knows-where, along with a good number of Jedi and former Republic officers, Canderous was Mandalore, and Carth was an admiral in the Republic Navy.

* * *

**The Gate**

**Dezhagon**

**Exterior Temperature: -25 degrees Fahrenheit**

**Troop Compliment:**

**100,000 riot guards**

**345,000 paid mercenaries**

**45,000 heavy commandos**

**2,500 HAC-D (Heavy Assault Combat Drones)**

**15,000 standard security droids**

**1,000 Heavy Defense Tanks**

**6,750 Cold-Assault Air Fighters**

**500 Sith Acolytes (temporarily)**

**Prisoner Compliment:**

**783**

**-Various captured Torrent operatives**

**-Jedi to be broken as contracted by the Sith Empire**

**-One Defiance-Level Security Jedi prisoner**

**-One Defiance-Level Security Mandalorian warrior**

The one thing they shouldn't have done was use the electro-shock stun cuff set on Revan. Having built a "protocol droid" from scratch, repairing T3 hundreds of times, hacking thousands of terminals, and destroying countless bases, a simple security lock wasn't that much trouble, especially if you had telekinesis and could knock the alignment of the micro-chips off by a millimeter, enough to disrupt the flow of energy and unlock the cuffs. However, they were only on his legs. His arms were held by electrical fields that would shock him if the ionized gaunlets on his arms moved outside the kinetic barrier cylinder that was his "cell". But legs were a start.

"All too easy." Revan chuckled, keeping the cuffs on his feet, but without the worry of them shocking him occasionally.

He waited patiently until the guard duty changed shift. This shift was basically new guards, who, as Revan discovered quite painfully, were easy to provoke.

"HEY! Dumb guards!" Revan called to the two standing by the door. For such a high security prison, Krempomere would have thought to put more than two guards actually _inside_ the cell, instead of piling all this security _outside_?

"Why don't you come over here and we'll play a game called 'Be my B****'! I'm going to rub against you so hard, that you won't be able to get the smell off for a we-…." _WHUMPH!_ The first guard hit him in the stomach with the butt of his rifle.

"Is that all you got wussy? My grandmother could take you down! Want to hear a joke? An old man walks into a diner and orders a Corellian Ranna Split! He sits down rather painfully. The waitress asks, 'Crushed nuts?' He says, 'No, arthritis!' Get it? Crushed nuts on your Ranna Sp-…" This time, the guard ran into Revan with his rifle butt extended, but that was what Revan was waiting for.

With a mighty roar, Revan yanked his feet from the cuffs and wrapped his legs around the guard's neck. The guard, blind and with no sense of direction, began firing wildly. It was easy for Revan to aim the frantic guard at his companion, riddling him with blaster bolts before hitting the console that controlled the electrical field holding Revan. With that, Revan kicked the guard's rifle over the railing behind his containment cell and the guard shortly followed.

With a satisfied grunt, Revan dropped to the floor on his haunches. While not Bastila or Juhani and not having their dexterity and flexibility, Revan did a passable crouched roll to the second guard's body and retrieved his rifle.

Revan peaked out of the small window to his prison module. The module was suspended via repulsorlift above a deep crevice in the ice, and joined the arch-shaped prison by a 40-foot long 10-feet wide environmentally-sealed hallway, which, in contrast to Revan's prison module, which was all bare metal and wiring, like the rest of the corridors and employee offices, it was lucratively luxurious. Hardwood walls and rich carpets on either side of the center metal moving walkway that was for transporting the cryo-cells that held prisoners on their way to their containment cells.

The one thing that should have reached Krempomere's attention had he not had the architect thrown to a nest of acklay to ensure he would not sell the blueprints to the various prisons, was that semi-covered ventilation shafts ran along the top and bottom of every corridor.

Revan slammed the rifle down on the bare metal table that held torture instruments. The guards were equipped with both the rifle and a kit of spare rifle parts. With some prying from a scalpel used on him earlier, he managed to open the exterior casing of the rifle while opening the case of spare parts. Taking the guard's pistol, he took out the firing system and began fusing the pistol with the other rifle parts. Next, he spliced together the rifle and the pistol, creating a double-shot muzzle. Some wiring and emitters from the electro-generators that held his arms earlier added into the fusion chamber, and he had a homemade ionized-electrical-particle rifle, or IEP. Pausing for a moment, he welded a knife to the front of the rifle like a bayonet. Revan removed the chest-plate and arm-armor from the dead guard and, stuffing a few sharp surgical instruments into the ammo bandoleer, Force-leaped up into the top ventilation shaft.

The guards below were oblivious as Revan scampered through the cramped and humid confines of the ventilation shaft. Occasionally, he would hit bitter-cold spots were the outer hull of the passage was warped from the cold, but he struggled on.

Revan navigated through the maze of tunnels, focusing on Rohlan's signature in the Force, until he came to a thermal barrier, used to prevent escapees from using the ventilation system to escape by detecting the thermal emissions of life forms, or for outsiders to break in. He had been able to circumnavigate the barriers earlier, but this one was in front of the only vent to Rohlan's cell.

The good thing about having a max-security cell was that they didn't have thermal barriers due to the constant movement of the cell from the wind, which wreaked havoc with the sensor's systems.

Gnashing his teeth, Revan painstakingly crawled backwards until he was looking through the vent grid at a guard standing at a security desk. The one leading to Rohlan's cell.

Carefully and as quietly as possible, Revan unslung the modified rifle from his back and pressed the muzzle through the grate and discharged one shot. The guard fell, but his body hit the ALARM button on its way to the floor. Revan heard the ominous sound of plasma fields activating further back down the passage. He bashed open the grate and leaped down, letting loose on the three guards trapped in that section of corridor with him as the security bulkheads slammed shut.

Revan managed to tear through the neck of one before the other two began spraying him with bullets. These weren't just regular mercenaries. These guys could _shoot_. He could only manage to get off a shot or two before they forced him back behind the desk, and even those were wild shots. Putting down the rifle, he began typing in commands on the console, which had been knocked to the floor.

Inside the cell, Revan could hear an audible _hiss_, followed by several loud _clangs_ as the heavy cuffs holding Rohlan in place snapped open. There was the faintest sound of electricity. This indicated that the field surrounding Rohlan was down.

Without warning, gunfire erupted inside the cell, with blaster bolts ricocheting off the walls. A sickening crunch signaled the end of one guard's life. Blood splattering across the door window indicated another, which, if that wasn't proof enough, a body followed the blood splatter.

The door shook as something heavy was bashed against it, followed by another loud crash, and again and again, until finally the door flew off its hinges. A large metal table flew right after it, crashing into the guards pinning Revan behind the desk. One was killed, but the other had his legs pinned as he cried out in pain.

"Nothing keeps a good Mandalorian down!" Rohlan roared, and careened right into Revan who was cautiously standing up. Both men fell in a heap on the floor. Revan growled and dusted himself off before aiming the rifle at the last guard. He turned his head to Rohlan.

"Thanks for that."

"Not my fault, you let your guard down."

"Oh, so now it's my fault."

"That was the general gist of my statement, yes."

"You're a Mandalorian. You guys are like a permacrete wall, minus the intelligence."

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"You bumped into me!"

"You had the Force. You could have sensed my actions."

"Oh, so now you're being racist?"

"WHAT? If anyone's being racist, it was you with that 'Mandalorians are just big dump hulking studs' joke."

"That wasn't far from the truth, minus the studs part."

"Uh…if you're going to kill me, could you just get on with it?" Both men, right up in each other's faces glared at the guard. Then they both turned on him.

"This one has a lot of nerve." Rohlan growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Yes, I'd _love_ to kill him." Revan chuckled, checking the safety of the rifle.

"But he might know something…"

"You really think?"

The guard sighed. This was going to be a very _long_ interrogation.

"Let's just kill him now. Less worry later."

Or not.

"Alright EsCee." Revan said, reading the initials stitched on the guard's bandoleer. "I'm guessing that those letters were sewed by a certain someone?" He felt the guard's mind clamp shut. He had him.

"Lania. My girlfriend…and the mother of my son." The guard blushed and turned his head away. Revan sensed something inside the guard's head. Fear…for her. As if she was in danger.

"Now what's a man like you doing with scum like these?" Revan asked quietly.

"Krempomere…he-he does things…to ensure the ones of us who don't have our full support of Dark Eclipse stay loyal. I'm…was…just a spice trader. Joined up with the Dark Eclipse after they captured my vessel and gave me the choice of joining them or being thrown out the airlock."

Revan nodded and removed the metal table pinning the guard. This one they weren't going to kill. Like so many Revan had encountered, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and his life had gone in a downwards spiral after that. He removed a painkiller from the bandoleer he had taken from the dead guard as well as a med-shot and injected both into the guard's ruined leg.

"So I'm guessing they took your girlfriend and son as collateral?" Revan surmised.

"Yes."

"Here's what's going to happen." Revan said quietly. "I'm going to give you a sedative to knock you out while the medication takes effect and this datapad." He handed EsCee a datapad "On our way out, I'll try and see if I can find any data relating to the whereabouts of your family. If I do, you'll receive it on that datapad."

The man nodded and winced slightly as Rohlan injected the sedative into his neck. "You should have just killed him." He grunted.

"The one thing that defines us as different from our enemies is that we don't kill our enemies without reason." Revan said, his voice trailing off.

"What?"

"Guards. Closing in. Maybe 18 meters away."

Rohlan grabbed one of the guard's weapons and aimed it at the steel bolts holding the door in place. "YEARGH!" He let loose at each, gun set on automatic full power.

"Rohlan, no-…" Revan hit the ground as bolts ricocheted off the door and impacted against the walls. Several crated smoldering craters on the ground all around him.

* * *

"Approaching the Gate perimeter defence system." Hudrow said from the cockpit of the gunship. Inside the vacuum-sealed hold, the overhead lights turned red, and the team checked their weapons and armor.

[Wampa 2, this is Wampa 1. Nothing on my scanners save for the occasional patrol.]

"Best stay as far away from them while we can, Opila." Hudrow advised "We don't want to be detected before we want to."

[Wampa 3 here…HK is getting that "evil" in his stride again.]

"Relax, Aurek. Besh, keep an eye on the hold…oh, and HK…don't blow up anything. Wait until we land."

[Annoyed Statement: I am an assassin droid. I am not customed with the term "wait".]

"And that's why you never let Revan build a droid." Dustil chuckled from the hold of Wampa 2 "Operation: Prison Heist is a go."

"Couldn't we have come up with something a little more original?" Mekel groaned "Or not have named it at all. This really wasn't part of our initial plan."

"Well, it wasn't part of my initial plan to have to fight Acheron's apprentice!" Dustil snapped back "Talk about faulty slicers."

"You were part of the slicer team." Thalia pointed out.

"Shut up!"

"If you children would kindly shut up, I'm trying to pilot here." Hudrow grumbled. They were flying in the middle of a blizzard, and it was all he could do to run the ship with minimal anti-icing, as that would trigger the thermal-tracking auto-turrets scattered all over the minefield. The gunships were attempting to travel through one of the canyons formed by a crack in the glacier to allow them worry less about the anti-icing machines heating up the ships enough for them to be detected, but it was known that a fair amount of turrets were located in the canyons and caverns.

"We should be coming up on the bunker entrance in 20 minutes if everything goes according to plan." Hudrow reported.

"Since when does anything go according to plan?" Juhani asked.

As the gunships swerved to avoid a large ice stalactite, none of the strike team noticed a yellow beacon activate as Wampa 3 breezed over it. The snow next to the beacon lit up, as lights all along the power cord activated one by one, like an extending snake, each cable headed in all directions and the lights creating a disorienting growing spiral.

[Warning: Hostiles detected.] Several illusion grids shimmered as clanking giants stomped out of their recharging hangars before lifting off the ground and chasing after the strike team. Several rocket turrets rose out of the ground, fired off a few salvos, and sank back into the ground.

As the trio of gunships made their way down the canyon, the AI onboard Wampa 1 began blaring an alarm.

[Alert: Sensors have detected objects moving towards us at 30 mph. Sensor ping suggests metallic alloy. Objects appear to be moving in concert with this vessel-]

"Shit. Opila, Aurek! We've got heat-seekers at six o'clock!"

[Add…whatever those are…at your two o'clock!]

Hudrow glanced ahead to his right and saw several Warrior Artillery Self-Propelled Hover-Assault Carriers zooming along a smooth plateau on the right ice wall.

"Six WASP HACs up ahead!"

"Hit them with everything we've got!" Juhani barked. Hudrow nodded.

From his position in the rear gunner's turret of Wampa 2, Zayne flipped down his targeting visor and began blaring away at the missiles coming towards them. HK, glad for the distraction, began to do the same in Wampa 3.

Hudrow launched three radio pulses ahead. Five of the WASP HACs managed to dive out of the way, but the sixth was hit by two of them, the first catching it in the right repulsorlift generator, and the second hitting its primary ocular focuser. The hold door opened briefly as several commandos put some anti-armor charges into the spiraling droid before it could recover.

"One down…five to go." Hudrow chuckled, launching a missile at the next. However, this time, the wasp droid was ready. It grabbed the missile mid-flight in its mandibles and swung it around.

"What the-?" Hudrow swerved aside, but the missile clipped his right wing. It was all he could do to keep the gunship in flight while fighting the inbalance that the loss of half a wing had created.

"They must be equipped with an AI learning program." Dustil cursed, climbing up the ladder into the co-pilot's seat and activating the secondary forward laser cannons.

"We all know where we saw that last." Phiran cursed "Let's just hope that the Sith didn't supply Krempomere with Behemoths as well."

The wild maneuvers of the gunships tripped several more alarms, and turrets popped out all around them.

"The flak's too heavy." Dustil growled as he swung the gunship's cannons at a turret ahead of them.

Hudrow winced as another shot hit the armored bulkhead of the main hold. Inside, everyone fell to the ground as the gunship shook again.  
"Our engine's been hit!" Hudrow cried.

"Keep firing!" Juhani ordered from Wampa 1.

"Energy conduits are overheating. I can't lock them down!"

Zayne was thrown against the gun controls as the gunship plummeted to the bottom of the ice crag far below, trailing smoke and flames.

"Wampa 2 is down, I repeat, Wampa 2 is down!"

"We can't stop. Keep pushing!" Phiran ordered.

"Boss, at this rate, we'll arrive at the prison as wrecks. We can't take this much firepower and survive"

Phiran gritted his teeth. "Wampa 1, pull out and land somewhere to repair and recuperate. We'll try and focus their attention on us until you reach the prison."

"…yes Phiran. It's been an honor serving with you sir."

[Phiran, may the Force be with you.]

Wampa 1 executed a hard turn, flying up into the open ice field. [We only have a short amount of time before we're detected and fighters are deployed!] Opila said urgently [Land in that depression, under that overhang!] The gunship flew down and landed beneath an overhang of ice, completely barring it from view.

[Phiran sir, the ground's leveling out ahead. Looks like we're pass the chasm.] Indeed, the ground below the gunship zoomed up until it was a level area of hard-packed snow and ice.

"Land this thing!" Phiran said, banging on the cockpit ladder.

[But sir…] Aurek protested [We're still under heavy fire!]

"Which is why I'd prefer to be on the ground rather than be in this thing when those wasps finally land us…for good!"

Aurek hesitated for a moment. A swipe from one of the WASPs which left a large crack in the cockpit transparisteel shield made up his mind. He brought the gunship to the ground. Besh initiated the emergency landing procedures.

[There, by those caves. They should hook up with the underground bunker!]

Wampa 3 reared up as it began descending towards the ground at an extreme rate.

[Warning: Vessel decelerating at unsafe velocity. All hands prepare for imminent crash landing.]

Phiran grunted as the gunship hit the snow and skidded a few yards before coming to a halt.

"Everybody out!" He ordered the few marines, droids, and Jedi "Take only what you can carry!"

Jarael heaved the heavy door open and the combatants made a break for the cave entrance. They were running for less than 20 seconds when concentrated fire from the WASP HACs obliterated the downed gunship.

While HK and Aurek provided covering fire, Besh led the others into the caves, where, hopefully, the WASPs wouldn't be able to follow. Or so they thought.

[Statement: The front most droid is unloading several four-legged canine-like melee droids.]

"Shit!"

Phiran noticed another WASP open up two doors on its belly. He deflected the blaster bolts sent at him and dodged the turbolaser strikes. He Force-leaped up onto it and lobbed a thermal grenade into the hold. The WASP was torn apart before Phiran returned to the ground.

HK blasted through the first canine droid. The second one landed on Aurek, who kicked out at it with _Sentinel_-class droid speed before firing point-blank at its photoreceptors.

"Fall back!" Phiran ordered. Blue wisps of energy curled off of his body as he imbued himself with the Force to deflect the now-full-power blasts coming from the WASPs. With his Force-augmented senses, he could hear the sound of distant troop transports and bombers.

"We'll find refuge in the caves!" Phiran ordered. HK and Aurek fired off a few more shots before running inside. Phiran followed shortly after. Concentrating for a brief moment, he folded the fabric of matter in a few centimeters of ice far above. There was a loud cracking sound, followed by more, and then the entire cliff face came crashing down, burying the WASPs, turrets, and canine droids.

* * *

"Call out if you're not dead or offline!" Dustil barked, lighting a hover-flare and throwing it up into the air. The light from the orb illuminated the smoldering wreck of Wampa 2. The cockpit lay a few meters to the south, and Dustil was now trying to pull himself out of the hole he had smashed into the transparisteel bubble window without tearing his skin more than it already was.

"Here…"

"…ugh…"

"….medic…someone…I need a med-pac…and a bottle of brandy…"

"Still alive…"

"Wish I wasn't…"

"I've got a beam pinning me to the ground…"

A sparking plasma torch end shot out of the pilot's bubble window and cut a rough square. Hudrow heaved himself out before hacking the metal bolts holding the bubble of Dustil's co-pilot seat to pieces. Dustil fell to the ground, and the bubble still stuck to him shattered when he hit the ice.

"Thanks…I think." Dustil growled as he began rubbing healing salve on the multiple tears in his waist. "Ow…ow"

Zayne kicked down the cargo hold door and helped Jarael and the few surviving marines out. Mekel somehow ended up on top of the port wing, and, as one of the few to escape heavy injury due to being flung out of the ship before it crashed, was trying to scale the cliff wall.

Suddenly, there was the sound of whirling servos, and five heavily-armored troop ships descended towards them, unloading tens of armored mercs, all wearing phrik-armor.

"Shit."

* * *

"The blast doors are mag-sealed!" Revan yelled once the last bolt hit the wall behind him. "The only way to open it is…" The doors hissed open to twenty heavily armed guards and several squads of Mark II assault droids.

"Freeze!"

"Drop the weapons!"

"Get on the ground!"

"I want to see hands!"

"…if someone opens it using a key card." Revan muttered as he placed his weapon on the ground. Rohlan hesitated, but seeing the amount of mercenaries and the droids behind them, he grudgingly ejected the tibanna gas clip from the rifle and dropped it. They were once again in the hands of Krempomere.

* * *

Rohlan threw off the arm of a merc trying to tie another set of shock-cuffs to him. Revan sighed as the turbolift ascended.

[Level 1: Demja Krempomere's Quarters. The Gate would like to offer you a pleasant stay.]

"Well, well, well…the infamous Revan." Demja Krempomere sat in a makeshift throne of metal covered sloppily with lavish cushioning. Two Twi'lek attendants and one Zeltron stood next to him, fawning over him. The lights in the room were dimmed, casting ugly shadows on Krempomere and his guards. A single light hung over Krempomere.

As for Krempomere himself, he was a well-built man. One lekku was covered in a gold sheath, and he had an eyepatch over one eye, combined with the shadows, gave him a creepy appearance. He wore bits of scuffed battle armor, and had a roast roba leg in one hand.

"What's with the lights?" Revan asked, un-intimidated. He nodded his head, and the lights in the room sprung on full. "That's better."

Krempomere scowled and threw down the roba leg. "I understand you were looking for me."

"You seem to be very well informed. Spy network?"

"No need for that. A little nudge here, a shot to the kneecap there, and a threat to loved ones over there, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to get someone to talk."

"Interesting. I prefer gaining someone's trust to strong-arming them."

"And that is why you will never become me."

"Honestly, I'd rather not."

Krempomere laughed. "Perhaps we started on the wrong foot." He depressed a button and the stun-cuffs clicked open on both Revan and Rohlan. Both men dropped into subtle defensive positions.

"So…you want the star charts to Grathca space? What for…no, I never ask questions of my clients."

"What about your contract with the Sith?"

"Eh…you offer a bigger deal."

Now it was Revan's turn to be flustered. "What deal? What am I offering?"

"Oh…a little job. Nothing spectacular. Might involve some breaking-and-entering. Some stealing. Perhaps some dismemberment."

Revan folded his arms. "And you still haven't answered me question."

"What, the Sith? Nah, don't like working with them. Too backstabbing. But the Torrent…I can torture as many of you as I want and still have you crawling back to me when you need something and I don't have to worry about repercussions."

"If I do this for you, then that's going to change."

"Eh?"

"When I complete this little mission of yours, you'll release all Torrent members you have in custody as well as any innocent merchants. Rival pirates, Sith, those I don't care, but no more ambushing Torrent vessels."

"Deal. Except I will continue taking merchants who cross me."

"Naturally." Rohlan raised an eyebrow at Revan. No wonder he had rallied half the Jedi Order to his cause during the Purge. He sure was a smooth talker. Probably great with the ladies…he had to ask him at some point.

"And now we get to the matter of the rest of my crew."

"How'd you guess?"

"That's the main priority on your mind besides me and the…uh…you there, how would you phrase it?" The guard he pointed to hesitated.

"Uh…_thing_ he has?"

"Good enough. The _thing_ you have with Pink-skin over there later on."

"Damn Force-user."

"I try. But as for my crew…"

"Oh yes. They infiltrated one of my military complexes and stole the location for this prison. Took them a couple of weeks to fully infiltrate."

"Meaning you didn't realize that they were there until after HK announced it."

"…"

"What?"

"That's the name of the orange trigger-happy droid that shot up one-hundred and thirty seven of my men?

"HAH! Revan, calling HK trigger-happy is like calling one of those storms they have on Hoth a light drizzle."

"Hoth?"

"Ice planet. Unpopulated save for a few research teams. Lots of ugly beasts that would rather eat you for lunch than ignore you."

"Very interesting. We shot down one of their two gunships an hour ago. The other one landed and those ones escaped before we blew it up. The crew of the first is currently…ah, and here they come."

A double-door hissed open on Revan's right, and the battered crew of Wampa 2 were shoved into the room. "Honestly, I'd expect them to be one of the ones not shot down." Revan sighed.

"Oye! I'd like to see you fight off six WASPs with one of your wings clipped!" Dustil protested. Mekel made to say something before the stun-cuffs on them hissed open. All immediately kicked out at the guards closest to them and grabbed their rifles.

"Dustil…I wouldn't." Revan cautioned, his eyes pointing skywards. Dustil was panting hard, but glanced upwards. Forming a ring around the top of the room were at least two dozen quad security laser batteries, all focused on the crew of Wampa 2. The Jedi and marines hesitantly put down the rifles.

"Alright Krempomere, you have my attention." Revan said "Not that you didn't have it already, which you did by the way." Krempomere smiled and a table rose out of the floor. He stood up and sat down on one end while Revan sat down on the other.

"What are we expected to do exactly?" Revan asked.

"We? No, only four will be allowed to go with you. The rest will stay here as…collateral."

"Yes, I heard how you like to do that."

"What can I say? It's good for business and reputation." A hologram appeared. Revan put his head on his hands and glanced at it carefully.

"_Archer_-class battle platform. Archaic. Dates back to the Great Hyperspace Wars. All bones and no grace, if you pardon the description. But someone's retrofitted this one…new armor plating…sleeker look-I must say I like the paintjob…those look like Dymac-42 Automated Tracking Defense Turrets." He frowned and look at Krempomere as if saying, _may I_? Krempomere waved him a yes.

Revan put his hands to the edge of the hologram and shoved them farther from each other, zooming into the hologram. "Interesting. The interior's been completely redesigned…well, the main areas at least. No changes to positions of already-in-place airlocks or the maintenance grid."

"Very nice professor." Krempomere said "This is owned by a rather nasty fellow by the name of Slin Tenro. Runs a smuggling business on the Deefra Belt. Really unpleasant character. Extorts his employees, preys on innocent merchant vessels, works with the Sith, really evil fellow."

"Like you."

"Ignoring that. Anyway, he don't like Dark Eclipse. Won't join our perfectly legitimate business enterprise."

"Legitimate…riiiiggghhttt…"

"Still ignoring you. A few months ago, we captured one of his ships and took the crew hostage. Sent him the captain's head as a courtesy. The bloke overreacted an' he blooming took my daughter."

"You…a daughter?"

"Mummy divorced me. Rather nasty incident."

"Ah…so that explains the eyepatch." Revan shot Rohlan a knowing glance, and the Mandalorian guffawed.

"What I want you to do is simple. Get on board. Get my daughter. Get lots of explosives. Blow the place to hell once you're away with my daughter. Easy enough to understand?"

"I'm having trouble with the first part."

"What, 'Get on board'?"

"No, it was the matter of the absence of simply courtesy. But this is something you could do yourself. Why bother with me?"

"…Tenro works with the Sith. He keeps a moderate group of assistants and trained commandos with him in his living module. The rest of the ship is swarming with who knows what. I sent three vessels there. He didn't even try to stop them, they were just boarding craft. I only got one back, and the only living being on it was a hysterical twit and a case full of recordings from the HUDs of the helmets of my teams. Gave my analysis team nightmares for months."

The hologram faded slightly, now showing the inner workings of the station more clearly, with highlighted sections. "Tenro's soldiers have some form of protection against the beasts. They weren't attacked. Can't figure out what though, seeing as my men can't get a detailed scan of his soldiers."

"These look like holding cells…" Revan said, pointing at several blue-highlighted areas.

"Yep. All Tenro has to do is shepherd his pets into other sections and have his guards place or retrieve prisoners. Which brings me to my next point…"

"He has Torrent members prisoner?"

"And curiously…several droids. Must be some interesting data on those droids to capture them rather than reprogram them."

Revan had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what those "droids" were. If he wasn't interested earlier, now he was. If Tenro had that information, then the results would be catastrophic for the Torrent and Force-users in general.

"Deal."

"Excellent. Now comes to the last part of our mutually beneficial agreement. I want two of those droids-…"

"No. Either the Torrent members and the droids go back to the Torrent without making a stop here or being intercepted by your cronies, or I make it known to the Sith that you double-crossed them, if they haven't figured it out already."

Krempomere scowled. "You drive a hard bargain Jedi. Deal."

"Fine. I want Dustil, Rohlan, and Zayne with me. I'll have my droid T3-M4 bring my ship in to pick us up. He'll be my fourth member." Unfortunately for Krempomere, he didn't know that T3 wasn't the only crewmember still onboard. Matthews, 3C, and several others remained on the _Ebon Hawk_.

Hudrow suddenly cried out and stumbled for a moment. Revan ran over and caught him. The former pilot for Davik Kang stuttered an apology and kicked out at a canister on the floor before Revan walked back to the table and glared at Krempomere. Finally, the crime lord grinned.

"Deal. I'll have your weapons and armor returned to you at the landing pad. As for the rest of your crew…put them in the luxury quarters for now."

"You're too kind."

"I know."

Revan glanced back as he was escorted out of the room. Unbeknownst to anyone save for Revan and Hudrow, a small communications node was now in the grasp of Revan's clenched fist.

* * *

Snow poured down on the _Ebon Hawk_ as it took off from the landing pad. Its two engines burned orange as it battered through the heavy blizzard, occasionally shaking the crew members hidden in the smuggling compartments and the four recently released prisoners.

[Bloooooo?]

"Not yet Teethree. Wait till we're out of their sensor range. Signal Juhani to dock with _Renegade_ once we're near her position. They won't be able to distinguish Wampa 1's transponder signal from ours in this storm."

* * *

Please R & R!

The next chapter won't be out for up to a month. I'm trying to extend the amount of time between chapters because of new information on the SW:TOR website, like the fact that a Jedi Master is alive and being held by the Sith somewhere in the Maelstrom Nebula (Taral V Flashpoint)- It's mentioned that he has been held there for 300 years- WHO ELSE COULD IT BE? (Not the Exile, because cannonically, she is female, and unlike SW: The Clone Wars, SW:TOR actually follows canon.

-Note: Who here thinks that Even Piell's death in "Citadel Rescue" was completely unnecessary and totally went against canon like the way David Filoni did with Mandalore, changing the entire story and causing Karen Traviss to not write Imperial Commando 2 (Which is true). Sorry, got side-tracked with that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	30. Chapter 30: Enter Nihilus

Master Vandar Tokare sat on the bridge as the small transport descended through the atmosphere of sereen Katarr.

"Many Jedi have answered Atris's call. Even those who have left the order." Zhar noted from the pilot's seat.

"Master Vrook, Kavar, and Ell did not answer." Dorak said sadly.

"They have their reasons." Vandar assured the pair.

* * *

The transport landed on a round platform, raised a few feet off the grassy plains. "Welcome Masters." Thalik Marr said, bowing to all three Jedi "The others are assembling as we speak."

Together, they ascended a long stone stairway built into the side of a mountain and into one of the Miraluka cities.

"Beautiful…" Dorak commented as he observed one of the dome-topped buildings "I'll be sure to note this for Deesra once we get back."

"It is a shame he could not make it." Zhar agreed.

"Are the rest of the Jedi ready?" Vandar asked.

"They are gathering at the gardens. My daughter will show you." Another Miraluka ran up. She, like the rest, had skin where her eyes would have been. Her dark hair was parted from her forehead, and she wore maroon robes. At her side was a small hovering disk.

"Visas, guide these Jedi to the gardens."

"At once, Father." Visas took Vandar's hand, and the Jedi Master leapt up onto the disk, where he sat, meditation style.

"Ah, Jedi Belaya." Belaya nodded as Master Quatra walked up to her. The old woman leaned on her lightsaber pike as she shook hands with Belaya "Any news of Juhani?"

"No." Belaya said sadly, not showing the pain in her heart "Nothing. Not of her, nor Mekel or Jedi May. And Jedi Onasi is still missing."

* * *

At the center of the gardens was a large circular area. Within it, the stone was sunken to form different rings of depth and seating. At the center was a grassy area, where someone could address anyone sitting in the theater.

Now, several seats representing the former Council sat there. As Jedi such as human Cale Berkona and Zabrak Duqua Dar filed into the theater, the former Masters took their seats.

Bala Nisi, Aleco Stusea, Dorak, Zhar Lestin, and Vandar Tokare sat down. Some Miraluka also walked, curious about the strange event.

Jirany Sha sat next to Dar and the Zabrak Jedi greeted her warmly, remembering their time together during their aid to several Jedi and spacers in defeating the fallen Jedi Acaadi, a pupil of Darth Revan as Dar had once been, a Revanchist.

"For millennia, the Jedi Order has been the guardians of peace and justice in the Republic." Vandar said solemnly "But we became weak, self-guided. Some of us lost our faith in the Order. More than once, the conflict between the differing factions of Jedi and former Jedi have engulfed the galaxy as a whole."

Visas Marr slid in and sat, watching as Dorak, Jedi Historian, stood up.

"We have faced more dangers and evils than even I can keep in memory." There were several stifled giggles. "The First Schism, the Second Schism, Freedon Nadd, Naga Sadow, Exar Kun, the Krath, the Mandalorian Crusaders, the Neo-Crusaders…but more recently, the Revanchists and the Sith Empire of two of our own."

"We cannot change the past, but we can change the future."

* * *

_ In the darkness of space, a battered vessel emerged from hyperspace…_

* * *

"Many of you must have felt the growing darkness. Even disbanded, we still losing Jedi. But we must think about our actions. I know some of you have grown disillusioned with the Order, but that line of thought can lead to the dark side."

* * *

_ Above the lush planet, the ship stopped. His hunger grew. Feed…He had to feed. Unintelligible growls emitted from the white object hiding his dark essence. He spoke. Like the embodiment of the dark side, his voice began searching out a meal. Hunger…Lord of Hunger. And it was time to feast…_

* * *

"That is why…" Dorak stopped short. Several Jedi drew their lightsabers. The Miraluka glanced around, panicking. All could sense the sudden shift in the Force to the dark side.

Above them, the sky darkened, and dark clouds rolled overhead. "Something is happening!" Zhar realized "Enemies, here!"

Across the planet's surface, a black cloud rolled over, like a giant hand of black, engulfing the planet within minutes.

"_We must_…" Every single Jedi and Miraluka screamed in agony as wind and dust kicked up and the blackness enveloped them. Their minds, wills, thoughts, intentions…all were consumed. The Miraluka were the most affected. Seeing and feeling the drain through the Force, their life force was extinguished and their final moments were of pain and torture.

Visas Marr shrieked as the pain overwhelmed her. All life…gone. The sudden extinguish of life and energy within the Force…it was unbearable. The echo in the Force reverberated in her mind, tearing it apart…

* * *

He walked upon the ashes of Katarr. Nothing was left. The Jedi…gone. His hunger was satiated…for now. But…there was something in front of him. A woman…

The Miraluka was half-dead. She stared at him…no…she couldn't see. Wordlessly, he used the Force to put her to sleep and then carried her back to his shuttle.

* * *

Visas awoke to find herself completely healed…wait. She frantically felt around her eyes. The skin was gone, and all she felt was the half-healed flesh underneath. A half-strangled sob came from her throat and she broke down sobbing. All gone…family…home…all consumed.

Blind and distraught, she stumbled out into the corridor, her bare feet crumbling dust and rust underfoot as she stumbled. She had to get away from here…she had to….

Finally, Visas reached a door. She stumbled inside, and felt something standing before her. A male…full of the dark side.

"Why…why did you…spare…me?" Visas whispered, collapsing at his feet. The being was silent for a moment. Then he reached out and touched her forehead with his gloved hand.

Visas gasped as a Force vision came to her. The man was showing her how he saw things through the Force. A galaxy full of beings on different planets, unable to feel the Force. They were disconnected from each other and lost in the crush of humanity. His mission was to bring order to the chaos.

Visas sank to the ground. The full might of the Force vision had damaged her Force sight. Her eye sockets were now hollowed out, the flesh gone, only two gaping holes. But now she realized it. The man, the Sith Lord, had only wanted the best for her people. He had wanted them to _see_…

* * *

The next chapter will be out soon

Please R & R!


	31. Chapter 31: Onasi Discovery

_**Renegade**_**, captured Dark Eclipse command vessel**

**5 hours later**

**Deefra Belt**

**Near Hellfire Station**

"Ninety-nine canisters of juba juice on the wall…ninety-nine canisters of juice! You take one down…rip off the top…find a rakghoul inside-…that rips your head off…" The voice trailed off.

"Really uplifting song, Zayne." Revan grumbled. They were standing on the bridge of the _Renegade_. Luckily for them, half of the crew had volunteered to stay onboard their new command ship so Revan had a full on-duty crew running the vessel.

"I haven't seen one of these wrecks since I was on Mandalore." Rohlan said with awe "We brought it down during the war. Amazing sight. Too bad though…it was stripped and smelted for parts on our warships during the Mandalorian Wars."

"Have they detected us?" Revan asked.

"The metal concentration in the asteroid field is masking our transponder signature." Dustil reported "However, the closer we get, the more likely that they'll be able to get a ghost of our signature every time the asteroids move and allow their sensors to hit at least a centimeter of our hull."

"Keep your distance. We'll take the _Hawk_." Revan decided.

"I'm detecting three derelict bulk cruisers in orbit around the station." Dustil added "Initial scans read no power source or life signatures, but I did get something on the audio feedback."

"Play it." The noise was just a garble of unintelligible words.

"Just static. We couldn't decipher that mush if we had a million years." Rohlan growled.

"Yeah, but just one problem: There shouldn't be _any_ feedback from our sensor sweep. Which means that those lifeless wrecks aren't as lifeless as they'd like you to think. Someone's currently having a conversation over there. Bring us closer to the one wreck farthest from the station. Just enough to take some thermals."

* * *

"Just as I thought." Revan said as they hunched around the holoprojector in the _Ebon Hawk_'s Main Hold "Zoom in on Sector 45-76. Enhance contrast by 87%."

The image zoomed in to a section of the derelict's hull, and the image turned a riot of colors as the different colors were changed to their opposites.

"Well…I'll be damned." Rohlan murmured.

"How did you see it?" Dustil asked. Now visible with the shadows changed to bright lights was a section of gleaming therosteel, just visible through a gash in the derelict's armor. And on the section was an airlock.

"It's a trick I used during the Wars. Hide my cruisers within the wrecks of destroyed warships, sometimes even fuse the two together. Crews cut holes in the wrecks to allow cannons to fire and airlocks to be used. The warship acts as an extra hull, keeping the cruiser immobile _but_ turning it into a sort of weapons platform."

"If Krempomere's intel is clean, then they shouldn't attack a boarding craft like the _Hawk_."

"Great. Let's suit up and head out."

"One thing I don't understand." Rohlan said to no one in particular as he sealed his armor for EVA. "Even if there are audio signals coming from those wrecks, we've been scanning them for a good two hours."

"Dustil, can you hand me that rig?" Revan asked. Dustil nodded and tossed the equipment rig to Revan, who strapped it to his back.

"We also detected no life support of any kind on two of the ships." Rohlan added. T3 gave a curious bleep as he continued his debate with Zayne concerning adding thruster packs to his legs so he could fly. Zayne kept on comparing that with one of the older models of speeder bikes.

"Check your weapons. Take any extra power cells. I doubt we'll have any time to reload once we're onboard." Revan said.

"But here's the thing." Rohlan continued "How many EVA suits that you know of have air tanks that'll last more than two hours?"

"The Mandalorians rode into combat on metal steeds in vacuum." Zayne pointed out.

"That's different. Let me put it this way: We've been scanning them for two hours, but we've been in the area for at least four days now. Now let's assume that they aren't wearing EVA suits but combat pressure suits. Mandalorians can utilize their Basilisks for air and power, since Basilisks have their own supply. But those derelicts…no power, no energy emissions of any kind, no life support. Without life support, whoever's over there is just breathing what they breathe out; CO2. Poison. Did your men do that during the Wars?"

Revan stopped putting on his gauntlets. "No…good point. But then again, they might have detected a shadow of our energy readings and probably abandoned those ships for the station. For all we know, those audio readings could be from droids left behind to continue monitoring the ships."

* * *

Like a bird shot dead over water, the _Ebon Hawk_ drifted slowly towards the station. Power was at minimal, save for primary systems. All lights were out. As they passed one of the wrecks, Zayne, who was at the comm station, jumped.

"What is it?" Revan asked urgently.

"We just got a clear comm signal from that wreck. It's one of the two that doesn't have life support." Zayne whispered "I hate the dark side."

Revan felt his spine shiver as he put on the headset. Over the speakers came a loud half-animal/half-human screech, like someone scratching at a rusted metal plate. It was followed by what sounded like claws actually scratching a metal plate.

"Only one thing makes that sound." Revan growled "Sithspawn. Looks like Krempomere was right. This guy is working for the Sith."

* * *

"I still think that sending us to the creepy evil zombie-boat was unfair." Dustil grumbled as he and Zayne drifted away from the _Ebon Hawk_.

"No kidding. At least we got 3C with us." 3C-FD blurped happily at Zayne's comment, and extended his photoreceptor to focus in on the airlock. He was strapped to Zayne's back.

"Airlock is ahead. Let's get in, scout out what the Sith gave Tenro, and get out."

"Don't tell me you're scared?" Dustil asked, as he slammed a bypass node onto the security pad.

"You ever been on Taris?" Zayne asked.

"No. Dad was on it."

"Right, Lieutenant Onasi. Helped me out more than once with Admiral Karath. Heard he went over to Revan's force."

"Yep. Dad ran him through on Malak's bridge."

"Nice. But you've never been on Taris, and that's my point. You've never faced rakghouls…"

"Are you forgetting Ziost?"

"Oh…what I mean is…you've faced them, but that wasn't Taris. On Taris, they can come out at you from all different angles. You don't know the landscape, you don't know from which ruin they'll spring out of. That base was easy."

"If that's what you call easy-airlock opening, pressurizing the corridor ahead-then I hate to see what you would call hard or apocalyptic."

"Simple."

"What?"

"Girls."

"Amen."

The inner airlock hissed open. The duos' face plates retracted, and they breathed in the stale air.

"Funny…all of our scans indicated that there wasn't any life support on board."

"They did. Didn't say anything about if there was oxygen or not, just that life support was offline."

"But the crew…cruisers this size should have a crew of at least 200, right?"

Zayne walked over to a flickering console. "87% of the ship registers as vacuum, but there are no hull breaches. Artificial gravity is offline. Even more strange, according to the ship's database, the last crew log was made over two weeks ago."

"What?"

"Visual and audio surveillance systems were overloaded, but internal sensors recorded multiple blasterfire in different areas of the ship right after they spotted an M-type light scout ship near the edges of the asteroid belt."

Dustil frowned. "Seal your helmet again. What about the other 13%?"

"That would be the life support systems and several areas of the crew deck." Zayne said after a moment. He pressed a button on his helmet and the visor popped back over his face, sealing it. "The rest of the ship really isn't vacuum. It just has the tiniest amount of oxygen. Not enough for us to survive. It's like the topmost layer of a planet's atmosphere."

"Right. Enough to allow explosions, gunfire, and ship battles, but not enough for someone to breathe. If there's anyone alive, then the crew deck would be our best chance of finding them. There should be a crew lounge right ahead of us…"

The hatch hissed open…and they were met by a screaming corpse-like face. Dustil screamed and fell backwards. Zayne, used to fighting in zero-gravity from his time on the Rogue Moon just before the Padawan Massacre, ran forward and brought his lightsaber in an arc through the corpse's body.

"What…was…_that_?" Dustil panted.

"_That_ was…Senior Technician Adam L. Brody." Zayne said after examining the tattered remains of a uniform on the man's body. "Looks like we found the crew."

"You sure that guy's human?"

"His identi-chip says so." Zayne said. He held up his wrist console and scanned Brody's body. "Uh…when did I bisect him?"

"Two minutes ago. You having memory issues?"

"No. But I think he is." Zayen glanced at Dustil "According to this, he died a week ago." He scanned Brody's body again. Same result.

Dustil ventured further into the room. "They didn't just hide the ship within the wreck. They _fused_ the ship to the wreck." He pointed to the end-to-end window covering the wall. One panel was cracked, and a man-size hole was in the middle. Through the window, they could see the ventral hangar of the wreck. Sealed passageways cut through a wall and through the hangar, before splitting up and continuing through two other walls.

"Tenro's finances don't nearly compile up to this." Zayne said with a frown "To do this to one ship is costly enough, but three and who-knows-how-many-others-are-in-the-asteroid-field…"

"Think Krempomere double-crossed us?" Dustil asked.

"Doubt it, but…" He activated his comlink "Zayne to Revan, do you copy?"

"_Revan here. What do you have?_"

"Looks like someone went a little farther than your average hide-and-wait idea. They fused the ships with the wrecks. Revan, Tenro couldn't have paid for a fifth of this."

"_Zayne? You there? Hello? I said, what do you have?_" Zayne cursed. Dustil tried his own comlink.

"Someone's blocking our outgoing signals. They're hacking the channel…" Suddenly the audio feedback overloaded, and both Jedi grasped at their helmets in vain as they sank to the floor from the noise…

* * *

Revan and Rohlan winced as their audio receptors were filled with feedback noise. Luckily, T3 managed to hit each helmet with an ion blast, disrupting the power long enough for both men to turn off their headsets.

Revan removed his helmet. "And that is why you should never wear a spacesuit when you're in a secure environment." He winced.

Rohlan shook his head and continued looking over the shipping manifest he had discovered. "Uh…Revan? Might want to look at this."

Revan walked over. "This is a shipping manifest of Tenro's business for the last two months. I don't see any weapons or Sith-related items, just…"

"…kolto tanks, hospital supplies, donations of money and weapons to backwater worlds, food stores…" He swore and threw a table upside-down "That no-good, lying, lily-livered, snot-faced, black-eyed, monkey-assed, Krempomere-…" He frowned. There was something lying on the floor from when he had tipped the contents of the table to the floor. It was a small holoimage.

On the wreck, Dustil and Zayne were searching through a database when they noticed something. "That image…zoom in on the person on the right…"

"Rohlan…isn't that Krempomere's daughter?" Revan asked, pointing to the smiling young Twi'lek in the picture.

"Doesn't look like a kid to me. Resembles the image he showed us though…but she looks at least 20 in this photo…and that man resembles…"

"…Tenro, or at least, part of his face." Zayne suggested. Dustil peered closely. The man had Tenro's eyes and nose, but the rest of his face came from his mother...

…Tenro's wife and that man was Tenro's son. "My god…Krempomere sent us to kill his daughter's boyfriend and his family." Revan realized.

"What?" Rohlan exclaimed.

"It all makes sense now. Krempomere really did double-cross the Sith. But he was the one receiving all the Sith biological warfare tech, no Tenro. Tenro was just a merchant who refused to be strong-armed by Krempomere. I bet during a meeting between the two, Tenro's son met Krempomere's daughter. That's how they met."

"But what about the derelicts and Krempomere's tales of beasts?" Rohlan asked.

"When his daughter ran off to join Tenro's son, Krempomere must have released the virus to turn Tenro's men into the beasts using that scout ship Tenro's men spotted two weeks ago." Revan explained "The derelicts were just Tenro's way of making sure Krempomere didn't attack him. They were just there to protect Tenro's clients if they were attacked by Dark Eclipse pirates. Krempomere realized that he couldn't risk a full-on assault without risk of killing his daughter. So he released the toxin on the derelicts and the barracks of the base, ensuring that Tenro would be trapped when we came."

"So Krempomere planned on us killing Tenro and those with him in the sanctum without realizing the whole story."

Revan nodded. "Still that toxin…what is with it?" He turned to see Rohlan staring at him, confused. "It's the same one from Semakh and that merchant vessel. We should have connected it then. I did, actually…but I forgot about it. DAMN!"

"We know it causes anger and instability in the subject." Rohlan remembered "But we always assumed it would die in the subject's body after a week or so…"

"Right, because it requires a substantial amount of dark-side energy to survive." Revan added "We wondered how they managed to fit all that dark energy inside the liquid, but what if it's a two-parter?"

"You on to something?" Rohlan said slowly.

"Every single being in the galaxy is touched by the Force, save for a select few. Areas strong in the dark and light side are known to affect even those non-Force-sensitive."

"Right, areas like tombs, temples…"

"…or holocron stashes…" Revan cursed "How could I be so dim-witted?" He began rummaging through archive footage of the scout ship.

"There. Barely noticeable. It launched some sort of probe at the station. The probe is encased in some sort of rock, making it indistinguishable from the rest of the asteroid field."

He began searching through the mining log. "They brought in a whole bunch of ore two weeks ago. I bet my lightsabers that the probe was brought in as well. Medical logs report increased tension in the crew and an increase in larger wounds from incidents that would have just caused a scratch or bruise."

Rohlan scratched his head. "Time out. You just lost me. Start from the beginning and no rambling!"

Revan sighed. Suddenly, there was a loud moan. Fingering his rifle nervously, Revan sat down. "Here's what happened…"

"…like I said, Krempomere's daughter fell in love with Tenro's son. Tenro must have been okay with the relationship, but Krempomere was furious that his daughter now had links to the family of one of the last pockets of resistance to his trade monopoly. So Krempomere devised a plan: He decided to aid the Sith in their search for us. He also must have gotten wind that we were hoping to negotiate with him for something. Once he was allied with the Sith, it was simple to take some of the vials. Once he had us in his custody, he released them into the asteroid field, knowing that sooner or later, Tenro's men would gather them during the ore collection. Since shuttles probably go between the wreck-stations and the main station, the virus spread like wildfire."

"Krempomere then fed us that _osik_ about the supposed 'kidnapping', adding just enough truth to fool us Force-users. He was hoping that most to all of the crew had succumbed to the virus, so no one could tell us the truth, and that we would kill Tenro without hesitation…"

Rohlan held up his hand. "Hold on a second…" He pointed down the hallway. "Heat signatures in the area." Sealing the door, he turned back to Revan. "Now, there's just one problem. How did Krempomere make sure that neither Tenro nor his daughter would succumb to the virus or us for that matter?"

Revan frowned. Then it clicked. "When they brought us into the prison, they took our blood samples. He must have also had DNA profiles for Tenro, Tenro's son, Tenro's personal bodyguards, and his daughter. The virus must have been altered so we wouldn't be affected…" Revan suddenly hit himself as he realized what he had just said. They were immune, but two others weren't…

"Dustil and Zayne!" Rohlan realized "They're probably tearing each other's throats out…"

"No…" Revan assured him "They've both been to the dark side and survived, stronger than ever with the light side of the Force. The psychological effects of the virus shouldn't affect them…for a while. But even they are not invincible, and…"

"…this is why Mandalorians never engage in small-talk!" Rohlan shoved his _beskad_ handle-first at Revan's face. Revan yelped and ducked, and the leather hilt smacked the deranged man sneaking up behind Revan with a meat cleaver, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Vents smashed open and panels fell with showers of sparks as more insane crew advanced on the trio. T3 yelped, brandishing all of his assorted tools and weapons nodes.

"Don't kill them!" Revan warned "They can still be saved-!..." A woman holding a shard of glass lunged at his face.

"Right! They sure look like they want to be saved!" Rohlan agreed sarcastically "Come here you!" He grabbed two men and bashed their heads together. T3 bowled into another, who fell and hit his head on the wall.

Revan grappled with the woman. "Listen to me! You're under the influence of…" The last crewmember grabbed him and Revan found himself being held by his hands and feet between them "…ah hell…" He was flung across the room.

T3 zoomed over to the turbolift door and with a few tweaks, opened it. Revan, grasping his chest, limped inside, followed by T3, and finally Rohlan, firing stun bolts at the pack. "Go, go, go, go, go!" Rohlan roared to T3, who was closing the doors. They finally snapped shut, just as one almost got in, screaming his head off.

"…I thought this thing only induced anger in its victims…" Rohlan gulped.

"…we've only seen it in use after a couple of hours." Revan corrected, panting heavily "It induces anger, and then neural decay."

"Is it permanent?"

"The decay? Not from what I can tell. It simply blocks the victim's ability to understand, form thoughts and ideas…basically it reduces them to an animal. If we can destroy the probe, I think they'll revert to their normal self."

"What's in the probe?" Rohlan asked.

"One or more Sith holocrons." Revan said "That's what's powering the dark side virus. It's what's keeping it alive, and I bet crushed shards from stygium or other dark side crystals were used in the making of the virus. That's how it was able to become a vessel of so much dark side energy." He clutched his forehead for a moment. The indicator light lit up and the doors opened to a large multi-level lobby.

"What's wrong?" Rohlan asked, fingering the trigger to his Aratech rifle nervously.

"Nothing. Just…the holocron is very powerful, even for me. What I don't get is why the Sith allowed Krempomere access to the holocron, because they'd only trust one of their own to handle an artifact as powerful as that…"

"Bravo. Well done." Rohlan raised his rifle. The voice came from one of the darkened levels above them, from behind one of the shattered windows of offices and corridors that lined the edge of the lobby.

His target suddenly appeared on a second-story walkway, leaning over the railing and looking down on the trio. Rohlan raised his rifle, managing to fire four shots before the rifle was yanked from his arms by an invisible force and thrown into the air, where it exploded.

"I am Lord Raat Luuroth, of the Sith Empire. You are Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith." The Sith pulled aside his robes, revealing his lightsaber.

"And you are four years behind the times…" Revan Force-called _Mantle of the Force_ and _Heart of the Guardian_ into opposite hands "…not to mention dead."

"I am a servant of the darkness, and you are nothing!" The Sith swung the blood-red blade, before leaping down to land on a desk.

"Well, 'Nothing' is a term that can be applied loosely. An example being a description of your remains after that statue falls." Luuroth looked up too late. The statue fell down on him, creating a cloud of dust. Rohlan relaxed, but Revan raised his blades in Jar'Kai, awaiting the attack.

As if on cue, Luuroth came tearing out of the dust cloud, firing mini-rockets from a gauntlet and flecchet from the other.

"Fierfek!"

Rohlan dodged a mini-rocket before shooting out a grappling line at the next, swinging it around in an arc before hurling it into the wall. A spray of flecchet ricocheted off his armor, a few metal bits clinging to his back. Ignoring the shockwaves running through his body, Rohlan pulled out his over-sized blaster and provided cover fire while Revan charged.

Revan locked blades with Luuroth. The Sith Lord caught Revan's first blade on his lightsaber, and angled it to block Revan's second blade. Revan suddenly angled his blades away, grabbed Luuroth's arms in both hands, and used them to walk up the Sith's chest, flip, and spring off him to land a few meters away. Luuroth was gasping for breath as he staggered back.

"So…the Sith are working with common criminals now?" Revan panted.

"That Twi'lek…has served his purpose…and he is useless…to us now…our goal was you."

"Ah yes. Now that you mention it…" Revan lifted his head and addressed the empty lobby "Why don't you show your face, you saggy slut? Or are you too busy sending your Padawans while you get your daily facial reconstruction?"

There were snickers from all different levels and windows. "You should know, Revan." A malevolent female voice whispering, yet her voice was magnified tenfold "I never arrive to a party without preparing for it."

Now Revan realized his mistake. Once again, Acheron had outsmarted him. He had gone on a hunch, and his hunch about what had happened was wrong…partially.

Sith troopers dropped down, holding the secured Dustil, Zayne, Tenro, Krempomere's daughter, and Tenro's son. The latter two were holding each other. 3C was slung over a trooper's shoulder, and bleeped mournfully.

"We watched as that Jedi brat and his friend smashed their way into the wreck. It was all too easy to sever your communications. Really, how stupid do you think I am?"

"In a scale of 1 to 10, compared to a Gamorrean, or at the current moment?" Revan asked innocently "I could place the IQ level of your minions at less than .20"

"I'm her apprentice!" Feran argued.

"Fair enough. 1." Several Sith guffawed.

"I finally get it." Revan continued, inching towards the wall, centimeter by centimeter. "My theory was completely wrong. That virus didn't change those people. Well, it did make them angrier and paranoid, but no! They still recognized each other as human and were still sane. You, Acheron, and your Sith did the rest. They were corrupted by the dark side, so it was easy to twist their minds to change their perception of everyone."

"You get the gold medal for stating the obvious." Acheron sighed, bored.

"The dark side presence I sensed. It wasn't a holocron. It was you. That was why Krempomere made that 'deal' with us. He knew you were already gone." Revan moved closer and closer to a support pillar.

"The slime ball had no idea of our true plans. He will pay, either at your hands or ours." Acheron snarled.

"Honestly, I'd hoped you would be smarter." Revan chuckled "Then again, I managed to not only beat you once, but four times. And you needed the help of _thugs_ to capture me."

"Smarter? How about you?" Revan stopped short. He glance up at Acheron.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear? Your precious Jedi Order was disbanded. Less than a hundred Jedi left, and most of them wiped out on Katarr."

_Katarr?_ Revan remembered that planet. It was a Miraluka colony. "What-…how?"

"Your Master Vandar, Master Dorak, Master Zhar. All consumed. There is nothing left on Katarr. Your Order is _finished_…"

"LIAR!" Revan dropped all pretenses and flung an orb of Force energy into the pillar. It cracked and shattered, the whole room starting to shake. "LIAR! I'LL KILL YOU!" Drawing upon the Force until his whole body was shimmering with energy, he leaped up and grabbed Acheron, both tumbling towards the ground.

Acheron managed to use the Force to slow their descent, but Revan was in a furor. "No, don't!" Rohlan warned, but Revan ignored him. Blood rushed to his head as he pummeled Acheron's face.

Blood was streaming down Acheron's nose and forehead from the multiple wounds due to Revan punching her, one hand with the gauntlet ripped off, and one hand with the many-edged fingers of the gauntlet.

She lost control, and both went sailing to the ground. Revan landed in some shards of glass, and winced as they sliced into his back. Feeding on the pain, drawing upon techniques long forgotten, he blasted Acheron with Force lightning, shot through with red and purple crackling energy. That of the dark side.

Acheron raised a Force shield before telekinetically hurling a storm of razor-sharp glass at Revan. Most pieces were disintegrated by his lightning, but the gravel-sized bits dug embedded in his skin, creating pinpoint wounds.

Rohlan shot down a Sith heavy trooper and took his ARx5 hip cannon. Dustil and Zayne raised their arms, and Rohlan ripped through their restraints. Zayne winced as several shots dug into his skin, but ignored the pain. With their lightsabers in the hands of Feran, both stayed away from the main fighting as they unlocked the cuffs of the others.

"Matthews, bring the _Ebon Hawk_ in for exfil." Rohlan radioed "Prepare the med bay and open the armory. Expect company."

Several of Tenro's guards and scientists were hit as they fled towards the stairwell. Feran attempted to slink away from the fight. He got as far as three feet before Dustil tapped him on the shoulder and punched him across the jaw. "That's for being such a prick." Dustil snapped, retrieving the two lightsabers hanging from his belt.

With Dustil and Zayne leading the retreating survivors and Tenro and a few guards joining Rohlan in providing covering fire, the battle was starting to focus mainly on Revan and Acheron.

* * *

Two Sith lay cleaved at the waist. No one knew whether it was Revan or Acheron who had killed them, the fight was so fierce. Blades moving so fast that they were blurs of light, the pair tore apart the lobby, even as the ceiling began to cave in. Several of the Sith's own shuttles were lining up with emergency evac airlocks as the Sith evacuated the rapidly crumbling station.

By now, Tenro and his men had retreated to the airlock complex. Only Rohlan, T3, and 3C remained, attempting to get Revan to leave the duel, but he refused to listen. Finally, T3 was forced to activate the security system, wrapping both Revan and Acheron in tendrils of electricity, allowing Rohlan to fling Revan over his shoulder and retreat from the room, running surprisingly fast for a man wearing full armor and carrying a Jedi and two droids.

Acheron stumbled to her feet. A trooper ran over to her. "My lady…" Acheron lifted him up with the Force.

"Don't just stand there you cowards! After them!" Sith troopers on the run to the evac airlocks stopped short when she flung the trooper over their heads and into the wall. They whirled around and ran after Rohlan.

* * *

Rohlan winced as the ship shook again. This time, alarms blared, and the unmistakable sound of turbolasers discharging bolts of plasma was heard. "Matthews, that wasn't Revan's damage. Someone just fired on the station!"

"Yeah…there's a Mandalorian cruiser with some boy claiming to be a Jedi demanding to speak with Revan. Calls himself…uh…something…can't remember his first name…Cel-Drem. He says if Revan is really with us, then he's providing covering fire. If not, then he's gonna pound the station into dust."

Rohlan sighed. "Revan sure knows how to make friends."

"_Who is this_?"

Rohlan glanced at the hologram moving beside him as he ran. "This is Rohlan Dyre, former Mandalorian Shock Trooper, mercenary, and companion to Revan. And you are?"

"_Colin Cel-Drem. Nephew of Roland Wann. Former Jedi Padawan at the Manaan enclave and Jedi/Mandalorian. So…you're with Revan_."

"Yes. If you need proof, then his droid is T3-M4. He possesses a maniacal trigger-happy killing-spree-prone Hunter-Killer called HK-47. He hates rakghouls and despises Sith. Oh, and he hates eating anything made from fungi."

"_Uh…that last part…really?_"

Rohlan chuckled as he shifted his weight. "Something to do with Wookiee cooking and never allowing that to happen again. Glad to have you aboard, Cel-Drem."

"_The pleasure is mine_."

On his back, Revan stirred. "Ugh…What happened?"

"The short version? I ordered Teethree to knock you out as you went on a suicidal rampage and now we're running for our lives from a bunch of Sith soldiers, and I'm carrying you and two droids and I really shouldn't have said the first part…" Revan didn't seem to care. Especially when he looked up and saw Sith troopers running after them.

"Anything else?"

"My back really hurts!"

* * *

Matthews piloted the _Ebon Hawk_ towards one of the exterior skeletal sections, ripped open by Sith boarding parties. This was the tricky part. He was attempting to create a field of oxygen using the tractor beam and shield generators. He was inside the shield radius of the station, and oxygen was leaking out, but the fact that only a thin barrier of energy kept the incoming survivors alive was kind of nerve-wracking.

"Survivors inbound. Open the hatch. Prepare for hostiles."

The exterior hatch opened, and several marines extended their arms as the first survivors hurtled through zero-gravity and clambered onboard, where medical droids escorted them to the cargo hold, currently doubling as a med bay until they returned to the command ship.

The first signs of Sith forces came when two missiles impacted on the Ebon Hawk's shields, shaking the ship. Matthew grunted as he tried to maintain the field. "They're two levels above us, and a group of three heavy troopers on the right."

Another blast shook the ship. "Better get everyone on board!" Matthews warned "Shields are starting to go erratic!" Dustil and Zayne ran into the cockpit and took their seats, Dustil plotting the jump to hyperspace.

Tenro's son and Krempomere's daughter floated into the hands of the marines. Now, only Tenro, a few guards, and Rohlan carrying Revan and the two droids were left, running towards the airlock at a fast pace with Sith charging behind them.

"Here! I'll take him!" Tenro said to Rohlan, an oxygen mask over his face. Rohlan nodded and flung Revan at Tenro. Holding the unconscious man between them, Tenro and several of his guards floated Revan into the airlock. T3 and 3C were next, the former complaining about something to do with not having thrusters installed on his body.

Suddenly, the barriers failed. "Rohlan, we just lost the connection. You'll have to hard-suit it!"

"Got it!" Rohlan sealed his helmet and took a running leap.

"EAULIALLALALALALALAAAAAAA…OH…!" Rohlan's powerful leap and his mini thrusters in his boots propelled him a few centimeters to the left of the hatch. The marines winced through their suits as Rohlan hit the hull headfirst and floated a few seconds precariously in the cross-streams of Sith blasterfire before they could haul him in and close the hatch. The _Ebon Hawk_ maneuvered away and landed with a _thunk_ in its berth above the _Renegade_.

Beside them, the Mandalorian vessel activated its engines and prepared to follow them into light speed.

"Hold on to your butts!" Zayne roared over the intercom "PUNCH IT!"

The crew was thrown to the ground as the _Renegade_ disappeared into hyperspace. A few minutes later, shuttles from the crumbling station zoomed away into what appeared to be empty space, at least, until the Sith battle fleet de-cloaked. The shuttles boarded and then the fleet took off in pursuit of Revan.

* * *

"Sir!" One of the guards ran into Krempomere's private chambers. Krempomere scowled.

"What? Did Revan get back already?"

"Sir…" The guard activated the close-feed security holo. It showed an exterior landing platform. On it were the smoking remains of Ice Patrol 7, just back from their routine scout mission. One gunship and several repurposed/modified bombers now occupied the space where the fighters had once been.

The image switched to the interior security desk. The guards lay dead or unconscious. One was chopped in half. Two _Sentinel_-class battle droids stood guard by the door. One noticed the camera focus on them and shot it.

Next, it showed a smoking hole in the roof of the Gate. Approximately a mile in diameter, it cut right through a section of the guard's quarters. And hovering above it was a strange grotesque cruiser, like some giant bug.

Finally, the image switched to the corridor leading to the elevator of Krempomere's private complex. At the far end, he could see flames coming from outside the destroyed door. And coming down the corridor…

Two guards tried to stop him. Revan cut through them like butter. Another guard raised his riot rifle. Revan caused it to explode in his face before hurling a knife into his throat. The guard gurgled and fell to the floor, clutching at his throat.

The remaining seven guards raised their hands in surrender. "Pathetic." Revan raised his hands and two Mandalorian warriors behind him gunned down the guards. "Secure this area." Revan ordered several former Jedi Sentinels. They nodded. Revan motioned for the senior Jedi and the Mandalorians led by Rohlan to join him in the lift.

"Guard the door!" Krempomere screamed in terror. His guards nodded and began activating the security protocols. Floor panels lifted up and flipped sideways, providing cover. The ceiling turrets focused on the door. Security droids emerged from their racks and stood in front of the door.

Krempomere dashed for the secret back elevator…only to find himself facing the muzzle of a very angry snow-covered HK-47. [Announcement: So much for that plan you meatbag!]

The lights dimmed for a moment. Then, the turrets suddenly turned on the guards, as well as the droids. [Do not move and you will not be harmed.] An electronical voice ordered. The guards panicked and made to rush HK. The droids started to cut down all who attempted to attack. Those who remained took out the turrets and the droids, leaving HK forcing Krempomere back into the room.

With that, the doors hissed open. "Krempomere! It's been too long." Tenro, one arm in a sling, the other hand gripping the trigger of a blaster.

Krempomere growled. "Go to hell."

"Not so fast." Revan motioned for Tenro to back down. "You double-crossed us Krempomere."

"Eh…helping you was bad for business." Krempomere slowly began retreating towards his desk.

"You know what else is bad for business?" Revan suddenly ran forward and grabbed Krempomere and hauled him up by the scruff of his robes "A broken neck!" He shoved Krempomere back. The Twi'lek coughed violently, continuing to edge back towards his desk.

"In about two hours, a Sith armada will drop out of hyperspace and blockade the planet." Zayne Carrick said "I doubt they're dropping by for a friendly chat. 35 _Scimitar_-class heavy destroyers, 14 interdictors, 56 corvettes, 34 _Assassin_-class Star Destroyers, and who-know-how-many fighter craft."

"My fleet's in orbit. I have ground turbolaser emplacements and ion cannons. They won't get through." Krempomere sneered.

"What, the bunch of rag-tag hulls that barely scratched our hulls on the way in?" Revan chuckled "Now, make this easy on yourself. Hand over the Grathca star charts."

"Or what?" Krempomere sneered. Suddenly, he reached underneath his desk and brought up a wicked-looking knife before bring it in a downward slash aimed at Revan's head.

Revan suddenly raised his forearm. Krempomere's arm bounced off the gauntlet and a follow-up chop down with Revan's palm sent the knife skidding across the room. "How about I slice you open from end-to-end and still keep you alive, then dump you out the airlock? If you give those charts to me, I may let you go early enough for you to leave before the Sith arrive."

Krempomere visibly gulped and began downloading the charts onto a portable drive. "There." He gulped "Now, if you'll just…"

Revan's arm shot out and grabbed Krempomere by the throat. "Wha-…_ack_…you backstabbing-…_we had a deal_!"  
"I said I _might_ let you go." Revan sighed, throwing Krempomere into a chair while several Torrent marines tied him to it. "The Sith will probably come down to visit you before the assault, and they won't be as lenient as I am. I suggest you try getting out of those restraints."

"Go to hell, you bastard." Krempomere worked up saliva and spit at Revan. The former Dark Lord reached up and wiped it off.

"Been there, done that. Nothing to see there." With a nod of Revan's head, the rest of the force promptly left, leaving a bewildered Krempomere and his remaining guards.

* * *

"Phiran, send the signal."

Inside the _Renegade_, Phiran nodded. "Authorization code Bindo-7 Alpha dash Gamma 45-Aurek. Lightsabers are not to be held by the glowing end." The comm light went green and Phiran turned around and moved to the back of the bridge. He walked into a large black room, the holographic communications room.

A hologram of several people dressed in admiral's uniforms sitting around a table shimmered into life. "We have the data." Phiran announced "But the Sith will be bombarding Dezhagon in less than two hours. We need evac transports and capital ships to load up our recently-freed operatives and the inhabitants of the Ring."

"_Many in the Ring will have their own evac transportation_." A Semakhi noted, pressing his webbed hands together.

"I know, but there are those, like the lower class, elderly, or young, who cannot leave. We are obligated to help them as well."

"_Very well_," Le-bin decided "_We're sending the _Avenger_, _Goranga_, and _Helix_ to aid in evacuation of the planet. Elements of the Semakhi fleet are in the viscinity. I will see if we can have them there to aid the other ships if the Sith cause trouble_."

* * *

"_Revan, this is Wampa 1. We have Sith forces dropping out of hyperspace at the edge of the system_." Juhani reported.

"Got it." Revan turned to Colin and his Mandalorian/Jedi forces. "Cel-Drem, I'd hate to ask, but…"

"We have fighter craft and Basilisks in the hangars of our ship." Colin nodded "Canderous sent us to help you. So we'll help you."

While Sorran and Colin began assembling a task force, Revan ran to the edge of the landing platform. They were situated in an abandoned section of the Ring, using it as a launch point when the Sith forces came.

"_Ten more Sith battle cruisers reverting to real space. This isn't a task force. This is a whole friggin' fleet_!"

"That's it boys." Revan said. He walked over to the loudspeaker "All pilots to your stations. Begin coordination of evacuation of the lower levels of the Ring. I want teams of Jedi scouting ahead. Move it people! We have less than twenty minutes before the full Sith fleet enters orbit!"

In orbit, the Sith fleet began engaging the entire Dark Eclipse fleet. Krempomere, having fled the Gate, was in his command ship, the battle cruiser _Ascension_. Bolts of red and yellow began streaming back and forth, small attack shuttles and fighters weaving in-between ships. Personal transports, star yachts, independent vessels were mixed in all this, fleeing the system but unable to get past the Sith interdictor fields.

The stars erupted into flames as Dark Eclipse kamikaze freighters hurled themselves into Sith vessels, packed to the brim with explosives and ammunition. Most were destroyed as they entered the cruisers' long-range turbolasers, but some reached their respective targets.

* * *

"Lady Acheron…" Darth Acheron stood with Feran, Darth Harandos, and Darth Lethe on the bridge of the _Predator_. In front of them, the Sith cruisers _Scythe_ and _Infector_ pummeled a pirate frigate into shrapnel.

"Several of our technicians have detected Torrent vessel signatures inbound for the system. They appear to be a rescue fleet of some sort."

"So…Revan returned here. A rather foolish decision." Acheron chuckled "Assemble my Council. Prepare the troops for planet fall. Board any vessel you can. Find me those Torrent members and Jedi."

"Fighters coming in."

"Terax Leader reporting in."

"_Ebon Hawk_ reporting in."

"_Renegade_ reporting in."

"Bantha Leader reporting in."

"Yellow Leader reporting in."

"White Leader reporting in."

"Cobalt Leader reporting in."

Revan was the last. Cobalt Leader. Piloting an archaic but heavily modified S-34 StrikeFight, originally a two-man bomber but retrofitted to fit a single pilot, a hyperdrive, projectile launcher, and heavier shields, he cut through the wreck of a Dark Eclipse freighter, followed closely by the rest of his squad.

"Cobalt Squad, form up behind me. Provide covering fire for Yellow Squad." Cobalt Squad, a mix of Aurek Tactical Strikefighters, S-250 _Chela_-class bombers, S-100 _Stinger_-class starfighters, and Star Saber XC-01s, zoomed ahead of Revan and engaged the incoming Sith fighers and pirate support vessels.

"Cobalt 3 here. Those pirates are giving the Sith a run for their money."

"This is Bantha 12. When we get back Cobalt 3, pay up."

Neither side knew where the rogue fighters had come from, but it soon became clear that they were targeting everybody, when they launched two missiles into the engines of a light cruiser. Smalls fires burst out of the hull all over the ship, before it careened into a Sith cruiser, both tumbling into the atmosphere.

Multiple fighter wings launched, attacking each other, but focusing on the squad of unknown fighters.

Revan grunted as five Sith Interceptors dove after him, their X-shaped wings providing better speed than him. One shot clipped his wings, and another took out his rear deflector shields. "This is Cobalt Leader! I'm hit!"

"Cobalt 4 and 7 responding to your signal, Leader. Hang on boss!"

The two S-250s flew down to aid Revan. "This is Cobalt Leader. Disengage, pilots, I repeat, disengage!"

"Sir, your fighter doesn't have any aft weaponry!"

"And your roles are providing bombing runs! Don't make me pull rank on you two! I don't have the time nor the patience to threaten you!"

"Aye, aye…sir." 4 and 7 pulled out, rejoining the rest of Cobalt Squad.

Revan weaved through turbolaser towers on the surface of the _Ascension_. Space was tight, and Revan utilized his bomber's durability and heavier shields to survive slight glances. One of the Sith fighters wasn't so lucky. It bounced off a tower, and hit a power cord.

"_Revan, we're tracking your signal. I hope we're wrong, because it says you're headed right for the port point-blank laser cannon batteries!_" Phiran barked.

"Yep." Revan grinned.

His fighter shrieked as he pushed it way past its limits. One of his wing-tip cannons flew off, followed by part of his armor plating.

The laser cannons attempted to track him, but his suicidal speed had laser bolts either shooting past his rear or clipping it. The latter was starting to cause some maneuverability issues.

One, then two of his external sensors went dead. His missile bay was starting to overheat. Releasing the catch, Revan dumped the baradium missile secured in the bay, guiding it with the Force into another Sith Interceptor.

The remaining three Interceptors fired upon him. His shields failed, and armor plating shrieked as it flew off.

Taking a risky maneuver, Revan flew downwards. His nosecone heated up as he entered the atmosphere. Well, he was in the atmosphere before, but there was enough air that explosions could occur but not allow people to breathe.

Two of the Interceptors pulled up and flew around to catch him if he should come up. The other one dove after him. That was what Revan was waiting for. He suddenly stalled, pulling up as he did. The Interceptor followed suit…only to ram into Revan's tail. Revan was flung forward in his seat as his hyperdrive exploded, burning out most of the circuitry. The Interceptor, lacking shields, was caught up in the explosion.

Trailing flames and smoke, Revan's figher began sputtering and sparking as the last two Interceptors came up on him.

Just as one of the Sith pilots depressed the firing trigger, Revan ejected from the fighter and was sent spinning by the explosion as his fighter exploded. Managing to right himself with his suit's micro-thrusters, Revan activated his lightsabers and cut through one of the Interceptor's engines as it flew by, and stabbed the other blade through the cockpit window of the second one. Both went flying and careened into the hull of Acheron's ship, the _Predator_.

"Cobalt Leader, this is _Ebon Hawk_ inbound for pick-up."

"Belay that!" Revan ordered "I think I can board Acheron's ship." What he didn't tell the _Ebon Hawk_ was that the explosion had knocked out one of his air tubes, and by the time the _Ebon Hawk_ had a clear run to pick him up, he would be dead weight…literally. The explosion did, however, send him drifting towards the ventral hangar bay of the _Predator_.

Activating his thrusters, Revan floated into the shadows of the lower side of the ship, unnoticed by the gunnery crews or hangar personnel. Once he was secure on the hull, Revan slowly made his way past the containment field and into a maintenance tunnel.

His helmet's interior warning lights began flashing, reporting that oxygen levels were now depleted. He was now breathing in whatever he was breathing out. Using the Force to decrease his breathing rate would give him maybe two or three minutes, tops.

Frantically, ignoring the spots flashing all over his vision, Revan attempted to bypass the security locks on the hatch. Vital seconds passed. Revan's breathing began ragged, as he gasped for air that wasn't there.

Finally, the hatch sealed, and the corridor flooded with oxygen. Tearing off his helmet, Revan breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor, panting.

Once he was recovered, he crawled forward, down the tunnel. Switching on his HUD, Revan crawled to a data jack and inserted his datapad.

Once inside the system, he began setting small flat, roundish oval-shaped objects on the walls of the tunnel, spread a few meters apart. After placing twenty or so objects, he returned to the data jack and hacked a holographic emitter droid located on the bridge, as well as the ship wide communications network.

* * *

Acheron was on the bridge with the other Darths when the holographic droid crawled up to her. "_Knock, knock_." Acheron turned around and saw no one.

"Who's there."

"_Hello_."

"Hello who?"

"_Hello, bitch_."

The holographic droid suddenly chirped and a hologram of Revan's face, partially covered by a cloth wrapped around the lower half, shot up in front of Acheron. It shimmered, and zoomed out to show a holographic interpretation of him in blue Jedi robes with armor plating

"Wha-…how?" Acheron stuttered, meanwhile motioning to a tech to trace the signal.

"_You really should fire your flight controller…then again…I already did that for you_." Another hologram shot up, of the flight controller's office, erupting in flames.

"_The gas valve must have malfunctioned. Seems there was an overload in the system. Shut off the water sprayers as well. Bad accident, but it happens. Died screaming. Quite pleasant, really_."

"You…heartless…"

"_And you are one to talk, Acheron. Jolee Bindo and I have been waiting for this day. He's watching right now. I'm going to gut you like you did to him. He never had a chance, but I do_." His voice was filled with venom and glee.

Revan's holographic representation, not actually him, but controlled by his commands in the datapad, pulled aside his robes. Hanging from one of the belt loops, in addition to his normal collection of lightsabers, was a cracked and battered single-bladed lightsaber.

"Ma'am, we have a fix on his location. Service Tunnel A45, Junction 12."

"Well? Get him!" Acheron snapped. The tech saluted and nodded to a squad of Sith troopers who ran off down the corridor.

"Well, Revan, looks like you won't be able to keep your promise."

"_Acheron, Acheron, Acheron_." Revan sighed, as if patronizing a child "_If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I never break my promises. Especially this one: I'm going to slaughter every single being on that bridge. Your crew, your guards, your Sith Lords and apprentices, Darth Feran…everyone except you. No, you, I want to have a slow death. It's been four years in the making, Acheron. The blood of every single Jedi, Republic serviceman and woman, Torrent operative, and anyone else is stained on your hands, and I will not let you wash yourself of it_."

With that, the hologram shut off.

* * *

Inside the maintenance tunnel, the squad of Sith troopers, led by two Sith Acolytes, arrived at the jacked data port. "Switching on live feed."

Acheron watched as the first Sith trooper advanced. "_No one here…hold on. What's this?_" He put his hand behind a pipe and pulled out a round ovalish object…that had a small blinking red light "_Oh kriff! Everyone, back on the dou-!_"

Flames shot out of the ventral part of the _Predator_. Small explosions erupted all over the hull, and the engines sputtered as the behemoth was caught in the planet's gravity well. It collided with two other Sith capital ships, heading away from the planet. The momentum of the two shops knocked the _Predator_ out of the gravity well, but the bows of the two ships were now buried into the hull of the _Predator_.

At first, the three ships began drifting away, but soon, they were once again caught in the gravity and began a slow decaying orbit.

* * *

"Renegade Ground Control, this is _Renegade_." Phiran radioed "Something just happened to Acheron's flagship. It's got two Sith cruisers embedded in the hull. The Sith are starting to land their forces. You'd better wrap up in there. Tell the evac crews the same thing." He turned to Hudrow.

"Get us close enough for a combat drop."

Hudrow balked at him "Are you out of your kriffin' mind? You want me to fly over that still-functioning-vessel-whose-guns-are-still-working so you can have a chance of boarding that thing?"

"Only one thing could cause an explosion that big." Phiran said, already getting on the turbolift "And that would be Revan. Have us there in two minutes. Radio once we're in position."

"So…we're to drop out of the cargo hold of a vessel moving at three times the highest possible combat drop speed and free-fall twenty meters onto a hull, hoping we don't get hit by turbolaser or starfighter fire, and walked fifteen feet to an airlock, blast it open, kill everyone…did I miss anything?"

"Oh, we're going to be free-falling at the same time those ships impact on the atmosphere." Phiran added cheerfully "But look at it like this: Even though those ships will impact on the surface, the two lower ones will take the brunt of the force. The _Predator_, once she's undergone some battlefield repairs, could just fly back up here. Or the crew shakes her free of the other two ships, allowing her to return to battle, and dislodging us, who fall to our deaths."

"Wonderful."

"Any news on Revan's location?" Phiran asked Opila. He was sitting next to two recently-found Shard, mistaken as droids when the Torrent vessel they were on was taken, and they were thrown into a locker along with the other belongings of the crew. With their old bodies and lightsabers destroyed, they were in new ones. And apparently having trouble with them, as Adegan kept on jerking his left shoulder and Phond was fiddling with his voice synthesizer.

[Adegan and Phond are having trouble adjusting to their new droid bodies.] Opila explained [But we've been able to detect large amounts of blasterfire in certain areas of the ship, each subsequently leading to the bridge.]

[Ar-sorrrrrr…sorry. And we deterred…detected…4 Gore's make…for…shit!] Opila sighed and redid some wiring on Phond's neck. Then he knocked the Shard over the head. Phong shook his head as his photoreceptors sputtered for a moment.

[Try that.]

[Whrrywsersedflske…better. As I was saying, we also picked up stray transmissions at the edge of the system.]

"That would be the cavalry." Phiran chuckled "Come on, Opila. Get your friends over to Se-ril."

* * *

Fire rushed into the cargo hold as the giant containment doors opened. Clad in _beskar_ armor, the assembled Jedi, Mandalorians, even the Shard, who had _beskar_-coated armor-plating, the strike team ignored the hot air and wind, before leaping down.

"This is Admiral Raal Staasi of the _Avenger_, flagship of the Operation: Retrieval battle fleet."

"_This is Thalia May, Torrent Jedi, and replacement communications liason_." The hologram was of a dark-skinned petite woman, wearing brown Jedi robes and grey armor. She gripped something as her surroundings rocked.

"What happened to the other communications liason, Master May?" Staasi asked.

"_It's just Jedi May. Uh…how is she?_" Thalia asked someone beyond the holographic range. There was a mumbled reply and Thalia turned back to Staasi.

"_Um…currently? A Sith fighter impacted near our shield generator, and they got a missile in our side before we could restore shields. Lieutenant Favira's console exploded…she's lost a lot of blood and can't feel her legs_."

Staasi nodded as the _Avenger_ rocked. "Senior Officers, report to the BatSim room."

The BatSim, or Battle Simulation Room, was located at the back of the bridge, where officers were hunched over a large central platform and two of several smaller ones.

Above the main platform was a holographic representation of the battle. "The _Goranga_ and _Helix_ are creating a safe revert area for when our reinforcements arrive." Captain Jayce Markhalin informed Staasi.

"Do we even have any reinforcements?" Fleet Admiral Pey'lia Ruun asked skeptically.

"The Semakhi fleet is scattered monitoring the edges of Sith space, but the _Onager_ and _Veritas_ responded as within range…but it'll take at least two hours for them to get here." Markhalin sighed.

"Some of our scout ships and carrier vessels have answered the call." Ruun said, holding her headset up to her ear.

"A transport convoy near the Granger Nebula is en route as we speak." Commander Gren A'ashk added. He glanced at the battle simulation with his one eye, the gaping hole where the other had been covered by an eyepatch.

"Two corvettes…threescore fighter craft, a _Praetorian_-class frigate." Ruun sighed ruthfully "Not exactly a task force."

"Wasn't the _Vanguard_ patrolling a system near here?"

"They got hit by two Sith frigates. Probably a vanguard force. They're still undergoing repair. They'll rendezvous with the _Onager_ and _Veritas_ once they finish."

The _Avenger_ began spitting bolts of plasma, overloading the shields on one of the Sith cruisers. Its shields buckled and the vessel exploded mid-ship. Blue shadows shimmered all over the _Avenger_ as another Sith cruiser turned to fire on it.

* * *

A squad of Sith troopers ran down a hallway. The technicians and Sith warriors were almost finished cutting the other two ships away, while their compliment of Sith warriors and soldiers evacuated onto the _Predator_.

The ship shuddered. "Attention, this is Commander Talbus. We have detected unidentified thermal signatures on the outer hull near airlock 134-A6. All squads within the vicinity are ordered to intercept and repel the intruders!"

The squad commander nodded to his troopers and led them jogging through a blast door. A bar of orange separated his head from his shoulders. The squad opened fire at the stranger, who suddenly leaped from his hiding place on the ceiling and cut through them like stuffed toys.

Revan chuckled and Force-cloaked himself. Thirty-seven soldiers, twenty-three crew, five Sith warriors, and four squads of combat droids, and _still_ they couldn't locate him.

"Your thoughts betray you." Revan turned around to see a young fair woman in dark grey robes and black armor. Her long blond hair was tied in a ponytail, held together by a red pin and slung over her right shoulder. In her gloved right hand was an unlit lightsaber. A scar ran down the right side of her would-have-been untouched face.

"And you are…?"

"Darth Lethe, at your service. Lady of Memory."

"Ah. I take it you don't have exactly a picture-perfect past?"

Lethe responded by activating her lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_. Revan pulled out _Mantle of the Force_, still unlit, and stood as she advanced towards him.

"Your face…" Revan frowned. It was familiar to him in some way. "Have we met?"

"No." Her answer was definite and he could sense no lies. But where had he seen her before…

"Revan!" Revan turned around to see Dustil and two Shard Jedi charging down the hall. Phiran and several other Jedi plus members of the former Hidden Beks came running around a corner, followed by a barrage of blasterfire that tore up the wall.

"Revan, we…" Dustil skidded to a halt. His face was in absolute shock, eyes wide open and mouth gaping. Revan thought at first that he was staring at him, but then he followed his gaze…to Lethe.

Lethe herself was almost as stunned. She walked forward, almost as if in a daze. Dustil did as well. Revan glanced between them before discreetly backing up behind Dustil. Something was about to happen.

Dustil was silent for a very long time. But as the pair closed to each other, Dustil took Lethe's face in his hand and gazed at her.

"_Selene_…"

* * *

Please R & R!


	32. Chapter 32: The Battle of Dezhagon

Next chapter will be uploaded tomorrow!

I always thought that Selene's death was ambiguous, and I really wanted to explore the possibility of her living.

Despite the new SWTOR novel "Revan" coming up and my wish to stay canon, I will continue writing this story.

* * *

"Wha-…how?"

Revan, face frozen in shock, tentatively took a step forward. Selene pushed Dustil to the left a bit and pointed a blaster at him. Revan raised his hands, showing he had no weapons. Phiran and the others still had their lightsabers lit, but the blades were angled to the floor.

"Selene…I remember reading about you." Revan recalled. His mind flashed back to the young man who had received the revelation of his life only a few days earlier. Now he was in the Sith Academy on Korriban.

A black-haired man on Dantooine. That was where they had first heard of Dustil. Jordo, a friend of Carth's. After escaping the Leviathan, they had made their way to Korriban. While in the academy, the trio; Carth, Juhani, and Revan, had met Dak Vesser…and Dustil. He had joined up with the Sith, but hadn't signed up alone. Another young Force-sensitive human, Selene, had been with him.

Uthar Wynn had ordered her death because he thought that she was impeding Dustil's progress. Kill her while on a training mission and blame it on the tuk'ata. Revan had read that on a datapad. _But_, he only heard about it, and the datapad was scarce on the details…

"You're dead. Uthar Wynn ordered your death." Revan said. He couldn't wrap it around his head. No one escaped from the Sith Academy save for Mekel, Kel, Dustil, Thalia and her band, and that Mandalorian who he had helped. All of them had escaped when he took down the Academy.

"_You…are…dead_." The words repeated themselves as if saying them would clear up any mystery.

"And yet, that's what he believed." Lethe snapped. The corridor began to shake as everyone, sensing the building tension, began to draw Force energy into themselves.

"He sent us on a suicide mission. I slew my would-be-assassins, and Uthar thought we perished to the tuk'ata."

"So you left and found the true Sith." Revan finished.

"I have you to thank for that, Revan. I always had a knack for slicing. You left some information about Malachor V in there that was _very_ helpful…"

"THAT DATA REPRESENTS A THREAT TO EVERYONE WHO SEES IT!" Revan exploded "_Don't you dare say more!_" He raised an arm, lightning crackling along its length, and Phiran didn't know if it was the light or dark side fueling it. "You don't know the power of the dark side. No one knows the true power of temptation…except for me."

"Blah, blah, blah. Whine, whine, whine. Is this where I throw in some fake pity? Yes, well, that data led me to the Sith Empire…well, led me to Acheron. And I wasn't the only one. There were others on Malachor when I arrived. Some also went in search, and some stayed to serve their new masters." She smirked "The ones that you let destroy your precious Order. In end, you helped a new Sith Order grow."

For a moment, a look of shock ran across Revan's face. It was quickly replaced by one of anger, and the lightning began to grow on his arm. Revan looked as if he was going to blast her, but after glancing at Dustil's pleading gaze, he lowered his arm. The tension left his body and he visibly sagged. "So…I led more Jedi to the dark side?"

"Yes. Hurts, doesn't it? Being responsible for creating a threat that seduced your Jedi comrades and killed the rest?" _No_. That thought ran through his mind. Bastila was still alive. He would have sensed her death. And he knew that Deesra Luur Jada had gone to Dantooine on a long-term meditation rest at one of the planet's icy poles. And who knew how many others hadn't gone to Katarr? So the Jedi still lived…

For a few seconds, no one moved. Then, Revan felt a trickle of warning and Force-shoved Dustil aside as Darth Feran leaped from the shadows, along with a Phindian Sith male wearing black armor and razor-fingered gauntlets. Darth Harandos. Revan raised a blaster pistol, but an arc of Force lightning knocked it out of his hand.

"Revan, prepare to…" Feran raised his arms to command the Jedi to drop their weapons, but Phiran Force-pulled him into a wall. Selene snarled, and activated her lightsaber, only to find Dustil a few meters away, lightsaber lit and in hand.

"…have the old man kick your sorry Sith butt?" Phiran asked innocently. The others dropped into combat stances, twirling or saluting their lightsabers. Several raised wrist rocket-launchers.

"Kill them!" Darth Harandos snarled. He unleashed Force lightning from both hands. Revan blocked the first arc with his blades while Phiran redirected the second into the lighting system with his lightsaber. Sparks rained down on both parties.

Harandos elbowed Revan before the Jedi could strike. Revan, sensing his next attack, instinctively dropped, trusting the Force to save him. Harandos's sharp gauntlet whizzed over his head, shearing a few hairs, but saving him from decapitation.

Dustil was fighting a desperate battle against both Selene and Feran. His _beskar_ armor prevented any major wounds, but even that was taking a beating. The lightsaber strikes still left searing furrows, and his armor looked like it had taken a turbolaser strike or two.

"Selene, listen to me!" Dustil pleaded. Selene ignored him and enveloped him in an arc of crackling purple energy. Dustil ignored the pain he felt every time the tears on his cheek came in contact with the lightning and slashed Selene across the thigh.

Selene cried out and fell, the arc of lightning flying backwards and hitting the ceiling. Panels exploded as flames rushed out of overloaded ceiling wires.

Dustil charged forward through the smoke, but hesitated when he saw Selene lying seemingly unconscious on the ground. He lowered his lightsaber for a split second. That was all it took. Selene raised her arm and fired off a spray of mini-bolts from her gauntlet, catching Dustil across the chest. Two of the bolts hit the seams of his armor, and Dustil staggered back.

Selene grabbed a combat knife from her belt and ran at her former love, knife ready to slash from above. Fighting the unbearable burning in his left shoulder, Dustil grabbed Selene's arm as she slashed down. An experienced knife fighter would have stabbed, but Jedi and Sith didn't usually fight with knives.

The knife skidded off the chest plate, but Selene kept on moving, slicing through the punctured vac-mesh on his shoulder. Dustil bit back a shriek as he grabbed Selene's arm. The blade cut through his skin and ripped through the flesh underneath. The pain fueled his strength. Using the crushgaunts, Dustil grabbed Selene's weapon hand and _shoved_.

There were two loud _snaps_, one at the wrist, and one in the middle of the arm. Selene cried out and dropped the knife before falling down, clutching her broken arm. Dustil Force-shoved her aside, trying and failing to ignore his feelings for her before turning to Feran who had been standing back. Dustil just stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, and then suddenly began attacking Feran like there was no tomorrow. Feran realized that he was fighting a madman, and tried to swing around him, but there was no escaping the Jedi.

"I said this time I would kill you." Dustil growled "But I won't grant you an easy death." He kicked Feran's lightsaber aside before throwing away his own. Using the crushgaunts, he grabbed Feran by the throat and shoved him into the wall before throwing punches at him 100 per second. The Sith Apprentice fell to the floor, a bloody unconscious mess.

Revan closed the gap between him and Harandos. Harandos was good, he'd give him that. He'd be a match for Jedi like Vrook and Bolook, and easily overpower someone like Belaya, or even Revan during his early amnesiac stage, but now, Revan was simply toying with him.

"Acheron spoke very highly of you." Harandos growled, believing that he was gaining the upper hand. Revan chuckled.

"You do know that I'm toying with you, right?" He flicked his blade and Harandos's lightsaber went flying. Harandos looked down at his hands before glancing back at Revan, a smug grin on his face. Revan realized his mistake and tried to back away, but Harandos grabbed his wrist.

"It's the other way around." Harandos reached behind his back and with lightning-fast speed, stabbed an electro-shocker into Revan's left eye.

Revan cried out and hit the floor, his eye in terrible agony and body writhing from the electrical shock. As he wavered in and out of consciousness, the last thing he saw was Harandos go up behind Dustil and stab him in the back with his clawed gauntlets…

Phiran cursed when he saw Revan and Dustil go down. Before he could say anything, the former Hidden Beks, led by Zaedra and Gadon, charged Harandos. The other Jedi Knights followed shortly, and Phiran barely stopped Opila, Adegan, and Phond from following. Se-ril however, led the charge.

Without warning, Sith warriors de-cloaked around the charging group. Harandos enveloped Gadon in an arc of lightning while flinging Zaedra into the wall. Dustil and Lethe stood oblivious to this. Dustil sank to his knees, clutching the grievous chest wound gushing blood with both hands, fixating on the catatonic face of his once-beloved for what seemed like an eternity. Words formed and died on his lips.

Se-ril charged them, and the spell was broken. Dustil toppled over and lay still. A Sith Acolyte swung at Se-ril. He leaped aside, saving his arm, but his lightsaber hilt was destroyed. Lethe weakly raised her uninjured sword arm, but Se-ril nimbly leaped over her with Semakhi speed and grabbed her forearm. He landed behind her, twisting it behind her back and she involuntarily dropped her blade. With both arms broken, she sank to the ground.

Se-ril was already moving before she hit the floor, swinging his fist at Harandos's lightsaber and knocking it out of his hands. The two traded blows for a few minutes before Harandos head-butted Se-ril. As the Semakhi staggered back, he received a roundhouse kick directly to the face, knocking him to the floor.

"Okay…now we go in." Phiran cursed. He and the three Shard activated their lightsabers. Darth Acheron walked out from behind a corridor. She walked up to Harandos and glanced dismissively at the Jedi. Her palm opened to reveal a remote control. She aimed it at the four Jedi charging them.

"No, you're not." Without warning, blast doors slammed shut on either side of them, sealing them in. Phiran felt the floor give way as that particular section of hull was ejected from the _Predator_, caught in the planet's gravity and beginning a descent. They were caught in a metal box speeding towards the planet at an impossible speed.

Even as the hull started to heat up, Phiran stood still. He had failed. He could feel the _Predator_ dislodge from the two Sith cruisers, both wrecks tumbling into the atmosphere while the _Predator_ made a break for it.

"This is the _Renegade_. We're locking onto you with a tractor beam." Phiran didn't reach for his comlink. Thalia May tried again.

"Hello? General Bindo? Anyone?"

Opila walked over and took Phiran's comlink. [This is Opila. I'm here with Adegan, Phond, Phiran, and Revan. The-the…the others…they've…been taken.]

There was stunned silence for a moment. Finally, Mekel's voice came over the comlink. "…Roger that, Opila. Don't worry. We'll get them back…yeah, we'll get them back." It sounded as if he was reassuring himself more than Phiran.

_**Predator**_

**Bridge**

**Fleeing the Battle of Dezhagon**

"Secure the prisoners for transport back to Dromund Kaas." Acheron ordered the captain. Harandos walked up to her. Lethe, her arm in a cast, limped up as well.

"Our bombardment cruisers are in position." The Phindian chuckled "Shall we begin?" Acheron stared down at the white planet with the ring around the center. So serene, yet one order could change all that…

"Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the galaxy." Acheron snarled "Do what Revan's apprentice Malak did to Taris, but even more."

Harandos chuckled and walked over to a comm station. "Fire at will, commander."

Pirate vessels, realizing what was about to happen turned their line of fire towards the vessels orbiting the planet. The moment they lifted their attack from the rest of the fleet, the Sith closed in, overloading their shields with ion and missile strikes before bombarding them with turbolaser fire. Pirate vessels turned into blazing fireballs before the others had the sense to turn tail and run. But they forgot the Sith interdictors and were ruthlessly slaughtered.

_Genocide_-class Sith destroyers aimed their turbolaser batteries down on the planet and began unleashing a deadly rain of red. Nothing was spared. Turbolaser fire, and then baradium warheads were mixed in as the missile frigates joined their larger brethren.

The Ring erupted in a giant band of fire and death. Still-fleeing ships caught in the shockwave tumbled end-over-end before they were consumed by the growing firestorm sweeping the planet, disintegrating upon moments entering the inferno.

As plasma bolts hit the ground, huge fissures appeared in the ice; whether from the sudden wave of heat or from orbital bombardment, nobody knew. Entire facilities, houses, and vessels were swallowed up. Glaciers cracked and fell, exposing the subterranean ocean that covered most of the planet.

Giant sections of the ring warped and groaned, twisting beyond recognition. Hundreds of transparisteel windows shattered at once on a building, creating a deadly hail of opaque daggers for those still trapped below.

The _Predator_, exchanging fire with several Torrent vessels, hyperspaced out of the system, followed shortly by the remainder of the Sith fleet, leaving what was left of the would-have-been Torrent rescue fleet and the burning hulks of dead warships.

From the bridge of the _Avenger_, Phiran wept bitterly as casualty reports from Torrent vessels that had been caught in the bombardment while evacuating Dezhagon began scrolling across the giant window from which he was watching the bombardment. Millions of people…dead. All because of a stupid prototype weapon that the Sith probably didn't even know about.

Revan sat beside him, and unlike Phiran, didn't weep. He couldn't find the ability inside of him. All he felt was cold fury and a thirst that he couldn't quench. Vengeance. Kill Acheron. Make her death slow. Make her _pay_. Make the Sith pay. Twice now, he had run away while an entire planet was wiped out. First Taris, now Dezhagon. And now Dustil and the others were in the clutches of Acheron, already headed back to Dromund Kaas. There was nothing that they could…

"No." The words slipped out of his mouth before he even thought about it. Phiran looked at him.

"Keep the rest of the fleet on the offensive. Have the _Avenger_, _Ebon Hawk_, and _Renegade_ set a course for those coordinates that we got from Krempomere. I'm not about to have someone else die for me. That stealth tech on the _Devoltar_ and the Shatterpoint weaponry can get us past Dromund Kaas's orbital defenses."

"We managed to destroy 14% of Acheron's fleet." Jayce said. He, Ruun, A'ashk, Staasi, Phiran, Revan, and the rest of the Jedi were gathered in the holographic briefing room of the _Avenger_.

"A bloody trifle, compared to our losses." Ruun grunted.

"But we still have enough to rejoin the main Torrent fleet at the rendezvous point." Juhani countered.

The main Torrent fleet was hiding in a nebula just outside the Dromund Kaas system. Once the Jedi got hold of the _Devoltar_'s prototype tech, they would adapt it for the _Ebon Hawk_ and the _Renegade_. Using the stealth technology, they would sneak into Kaas City, rescue the prisoners, and then disrupt the planetary defenses long enough for the Torrent fleet to attack.

"Many of the independent survivors are pledging themselves to our cause." Ruun noted. He brought up a display with a list of vessel IDs and weapons capabilities. Most were light freighters, but there were a few starfighter carriers and corvettes. All were modified with added weapons and shield systems.

"Krempomere's flagship was destroyed by the _Predator_ shortly before she left for Dromund Kaas." Admiral Staasi sighed "We couldn't take him into custody."

"Several of our ships, more than half our fighters, and dozens of evac transports were destroyed." Phiran cursed. "Even with the added bulk of the independents, our fleet isn't nearly enough to take on the Sith Home Fleet."

"We can salvage some of the wrecks of the Sith and pirate cruisers." Juhani suggested "Welding them together would allow us to combine the weapons and armor of several different ships."

[I might be inclined to summon my people.] Opila added. Behind him stood Adegan and Phond, as well as a hologram of Councilor Upari who was on the Shard homeworld. [We have numbers enough to overrun several Sith frigates…and we have infiltrators already onboard several of the vessels in the Home Fleet, not to mention in Dromund Kaas itself.]

"…and…exactly when were you going to tell us this?" Phiran said through gritted teeth. A'ashk put a comforting hand on his shoulder but Phiran shrugged it off.

[Note that my people are more fragile, and many of us fear that the Torrent will just use us for your own goals. Remember that Opila does not speak for the rest of us, especially in revealing that information.] Upari said. He shot a glance at Opila. Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then, Juhani piped up.

"So…salvaging the wrecks?" Staasi quickly caught on.

"Oh, right…um…I'll get some of my men on it then." Staasi said quickly. Phiran nodded curtly and walked over to Revan, who was tinkering with the remains of HK-47.

"Well?"

"…T3 did the best that he could. But HK's taken too much damage. Most of his memory core was corrupted when the blast hit him. His chassis is all but ruined. The shell's been too damaged by blasterfire for me to examine the core." Revan removed something from HK's head "This is what's left of his vocabulator. The control cluster should have been okay, but the fall he took crushed some of the circuitry."

"Why not just replace those parts?" Phiran asked. T3-M4 rolled up, barely functioning. He let out a long sad whine. Revan patted the droid's head and turned back to Phiran, holding the processor.

"See this? I built HK-47 specifically for him to be unique. When those HK-24 units were dismantled during the Wars, so were all the replacement parts. I did plan to make more advanced models of him…" Phiran nearly fainted. _More of those organic-hating killer?_

"…but my former self was captured by the Jedi before I could start production." Revan sighed and put down HK's corpse. "Now, let's take a look at you, Teethree." T3-M4 actually hesitated for a moment and glanced around, as if looking for an escape route. 3C-FD gave him a sympathetic _bloo_.

"What's wrong?" Revan asked, kneeling over to examine T3. He inserted a cord into T3 and connected it with his datapad. "I don't see what the problem-…what is this?" Revan frowned and activated a message stored in T3's memory core.

Without warning, a hologram shot up. It was a young woman wearing tan Jedi robes over a one-piece jumpsuit. Her hair was braided in a ponytail and she had a sorrowed expression on her face.

"_Bastila_…"

* * *

Please R & R!


	33. Chapter 33: Past Present

Sorry it took so long to upload. For some reason, FanFiction was glitchy for months. Ah well, gave me some time to edit.

The Battle of Allanteen 6 actually occurred. It was one of Revan's battles during the war, and was mentioned in one of the KOTOR roleplaying guides or something like that. Also was on the wiki.

Enjoy!

* * *

"_T3…you have been with-…_" Revan shut the hologram off.

"Why did you do that?" Phiran asked. Revan sighed and ran his hands through his long ponytail.

"I…I'm not ready to face her again. Especially not before going on a suicide mission."

Phiran gripped his shoulder gently and walked away. For some reason, he knew that when Revan saw that recording, it would be too late. He didn't know too late for what, but something bad was blocking the time stream between the present and when Revan would finally open that message. Then he turned around, almost forgetting something.

"Are you going to comm Zayne and Jarael?" The duo had been sent to Dromund Kaas not long after they had rescued Tenro, with a long-term mission to insert themselves into the everyday life of the city and find out what they could about the Sith Empire.

"…you do it."

* * *

It wasn't all that spectacular. Swirling orange mass, a few floating scraps of hull, edges blackened where turbolaser fire had torn it off. Asteroids were abundant, yet there was enough space between most of them for a frigate to squeeze through. Some were large enough that they had an atmosphere.

It was on the surface of one of the larger sub-moon asteroids that the wreckage of the _Devoltar_ laid. The bow was fragmented, the tip attached only by wiring and a few strips of hull. Various burn marks were etched into the hull, and the skeleton of a Sith corvette that had collided with the vessel as it hurdled towards its current resting place was still attached.

The aft section holding the engine pods lay a few hundred meters away, tilted on a slope. The ground was blackened and burned, for the _Devoltar_'s engines had still been running when it broke apart on the asteroid surface.

The bridge had survived, but the tower below it had huge chunks of hull and interior missing, or crushed. The hangar section in the middle of the ship looked sturdy, protected by layers on layers of armored bulkheads.

The _Renegade_ had been here for five days now, setting up a camp in the hangar ruins. Enviro-tunnels, rings of metal with air-tight fabric ringlets stretched between them, were placed in necessary corridors and metal catwalks connected the larger sections of the ship.

So far, the research team was making headway in clearing rubble from the corridors leading to the prototype stealth system and Shatterpoint tech, but there was a problem: The security hold where the Shatterpoint weaponry was being held had been on the bottom of the ship, and was located under several miles of solid rock. As long as the bulkheads protecting it had held, then it shouldn't have suffered any major damage.

As for the stealth system, the scientists had been testing it when the _Devoltar_ had fallen under attack. The science lab where they had left it was nothing but crushed metal, though from scans of the wreck, Phiran believed that the generator had fallen several stories, judging by the giant hole they had detected in the center of the lab. If that was the case, then it lay on a section of hull atop a mile-deep crater, and judging by the structural integrity of the rest of the ship, there was a good chance that it would fall before they could reach it.

"We've been getting some unidentified organic readings near Drill Position Beta." Matthews's hologram grunted "Could be nothing, but this is Grathca space, and I've seen too many of my men die to Grathca-inflicted injuries. We're arming all teams now until further notice."

"Any advice for us then?" Revan asked. He stood in the Main Hold of the _Ebon Hawk_.

"Watch out for those so-called "evolved" bugs, and don't let them get within a few meters of you…for that matter, don't let them get near you, period. Those claws are nasty and the poison travels fast."

* * *

The _Ebon Hawk_ touched down in the ruins of the _Devoltar_'s hangar. Rubble littered the once-pristine metal floor. The containment fields were flickering, and had it not been for the asteroid's atmosphere and almost-sufficient oxygen quality, everyone would have been sucked out into vacuum within seconds.

"Shame we couldn't get the _Shadow Catcher_ out before the ship went up in flames." Thalia said wistfully, examining the wreck of the Sith vessel Revan had stolen. An overhanging gantry had fallen on the cockpit, crushing it, and a cargo loading droid had smashed into the hull and torn the personal skiff in two while the _Devoltar_ broke apart.

"We've cleared the rubble blocking the passages leading to the Shatterpoint containment hold. It's still intact." Matthews said as he limped up to them. His leg was still on the mend, and while he could walk with a cane, running was impossible. "I think they're unloading it as we speak."

As they passed a couple of workmen, Matthews took a quick glance back before continuing. "The stealth tech on the other hand…we can't use the heavy equipment without fear of the whole section disintegrating with us in it. So we're forced to use cutting saws and plasma torches. But we've made good progress. We're nearly at the location our scans said it would be, but we're moving painstakingly slow now…"

"Slow work then?" Revan asked. They passed out of hearing distance from the two men. Matthews glanced around, as if making sure no one was listening. The only other person there was Phiran, and he was ambling around in an I'm-not-here-listening-in-on-your-conversation-so-please-go-on or I-really-have-to-go-so-can-you-ask-him-if-the-bathrooms-in-the-hangar-access-corridor-still-work kind of way. It was hard to tell with his back turned.

"I don't want to scare the others, but you or at least Phiran should know that there's no danger of the hull disintegrating. Come on, you have to give our Torrent ship-builders some credit. You don't want to know how many painstaking months of sneaking in and breaking into Sith warehouses and supply ships to amass a sufficient amount of cortosis, phrik, duraplast, durasteel, permasteel, etc., to build our current fleet." He stopped when Phiran turned around. The old Jedi glanced at them before strolling off down the corridor. So it was the I-really-have-to-go look.

The duo ambled down one of the recently-constructed Enviro-tunnels, walking on the grated metal floor that spanned the rings. Revan ran his ungloved hand on the smooth fabric of the arced wall, noting the feel he did not have nowadays. It was rare that he could go someplace without heavy armor, a helmet covering his face, or gloves preventing him from feeling the texture of an object.

"So I'm guessing the Grathca are here. And the light tools are so they don't feel the vibrations of the heavy tools and realize that we're here…if they don't know already."

"We detected what could be their ship on the northern tip of the asteroid. Grathca don't have our respiratory system…"

"…so they could survive in the thin atmosphere." Revan finished. Grathca reminded him of the Kel Dor; not in appearance, but in the way they breathed. Kel Dor were unable to breathe oxygen like other beings, used to the toxic gas of their homeworld Dorin. They were forced to wear oxygen masks over their faces. It was rare to see one without it. Did they too miss breathing in air that wasn't filtered? Would they view his breath periods without a helmet or full-body armor as sacred gifts?

There had been a time when Revan's life had been so simple. Fighting in customary Jedi battle robes with the mask of the dead female Neo-Crusader who had the courage to stand up for what she believed in, and paid a terrible price for it.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed Matthew's next comment.

"…of course, that was I just got this message on my comlink. One of them ambushed one of the drilling teams. One man torn to shreds, the other only partially torn to shreds."

"How is partially different?"

"…"

"What?"

"Umm…how do I put this…the Grathca tore up his legs and broke his left arm…but ripped the skin off the other arm and his torso…"

"…how much exactly?"

"You can see his spine in some places."

"God…"

"He's still in intensive care, but the poison injected into his skin is disrupting the clotting process, so we're having trouble with stopping the bleeding. But since the secret's out, the teams are now drilling five times what they were." Another beep on his comlink.

"_Chief? We just broke through to the storage room. The tech's all here, and it looks intact. We're carrying them out as we speak_."

"Good. Watch out for Grathca. I don't want the mountain of paperwork and personnel safety lawsuits if one of you skins your finger."

Revan shook his head. They were now entering a roughly cut tunnel into the asteroid interior. Because of the months spent lying on the asteroid and the force of the impact, several sections of the ship had been forced into the rock face.

"We did find some nice ore deposits. Might set up a listening post here for Grathca activity." Revan glared at him. "After your suicide mission, of course. But this place does have some strategic value. Located inside a dense nebula on an asteroid with at least some atmosphere. The ship still has some repairable systems, and we've already made great progress with carving out seven layers of a network of tunnels."

As they climbed into a freight elevator, the asteroid shook. The lights in the grated box flickered. Revan frowned. "That can't be good." As if in confirmation, the lift slammed to a stop with an ear-splitting shriek.

There was a loud unnatural wail, drawn out for several seconds. Goosebumps rose on Revan's neck, and he fingered his lightsabers nervously. Matthews shoved his cane to the side and unclipped his assault rifle from its sling on his back.

"Central Control, status report." Static.

"Central? Central! Damn it, what the hell is going on?" Matthews began switching through different channels and immediately wished that he hadn't when he hit a clearer one on line seven.

There was the sound of brief screaming, followed by several animal growls and what sounded like sharp bone slicing through flesh and the dismemberment of a body. Then there was what sounded like a "fall back!" and blasterfire.

Revan cursed and began cutting through the top of the lift. "Only eight floors counting the hangar, right?"

"No. I said seven layers of tunnels still to be plated with metal and have rooms carved out. There are still the layers of the ship that we've connected to the tunnels."

"How many?"

"Levels? Maybe Grathca? Well, the usual policy when we encounter one of their ships is to turn tail and get the hell out of there as fast as we can. One ship means that the other five-to-ten are hurdling towards your ship at ramming speed. But they wouldn't send a pack to scout out the wreck. Probably one ship. Maybe only sixty-to-eighty Grathca, and that's a full compliment."

"_Only?_"

"Yes, _only_. Also, probably just a scout ship. They usually don't venture into nebulas that much. Too many places for their prey to hide."

Revan finished cutting through the roof and leapt up, lightsaber in hand. "The Torrent Fleet will just have to wait." He muttered. Matthews inched painfully out of the lift and indicated the two tracks on opposite sides of the cube-shaped shaft.

"In an emergency situation, the tracks mag-seal so the elevator and whoever's in it can't plummet to their doom." Matthews explained. Using the laser sight on his rifle, he illuminated a squad panel about four feet in diameter and three stories above them.

"If I can get to that panel, I can reset the mag-seal, and the elevator will do either one of two things...eaarrghhh!" Revan had Force-grabbed Matthews and flung him up to the panel, suspending him in a telekinetic field.

"Great, start working!"

"I didn't finish speaking!" Matthews shouted down. He pried off the cover and threw it down. Revan caught it with another field and levitated it up to Matthews to serve as a work table.

"Thanks. As I was saying, once I reset the seal, the elevator will do either one of two things: Either we resume our lift to the engineering deck, or the elevator plummets to the ground."

"Well, it's better than being stuck in here while…" Revan paused "Hold on." He searched through his pockets and found what he was looking for.

"_T3, we're stuck in the lift shaft. Teethree, do you copy?_"

* * *

In the Main Hold of the Ebon Hawk, T3 awoke with a start. His master was in trouble. Quickly plugging into the ship's sensor network, he began sifting through the scan archives. To his surprise, the little droid found forty-seven bio-signs marked **unknown** moving through the wrecked corridors of the _Devoltar_.

[Beeeeeep!]

Aurek, Besh, T2, and 3C ran, or in the latter two's case, rolled, out of the Cargo Hold. [What is the matter?] Aurek asked.

[Deet. Bee-reet!]

Besh unsheathed his dual wrist tri-blaster with a _shunk_, and a visor extended from the right side of his head and went into place over his photoreceptors. Aurek did the same, but grabbed a rifle from a storage locker due to the lack of wrist blasters. Instead, Aurek used a wicked vibro-shiv that ejected from below his left wrist which could be swung with deadly accuracy.

[Beep. Wank-brat! Twee…dee-too-…..WEEEEE!]

Aurek and Besh sprung around to see a Grathca hanging from the ceiling. With a high-pitched shriek, it launched itself at the closest droid, which happened to be Besh. Three more Grathca leaped out from behind the corner.

[Ignore me! Focus on them!] Besh ordered with surprising command in his synthesized voice.

Aurek dodged the first Grathca, rolling to the side as it careened into a panel, stunning it for a moment.

The other two Grathca went for the droids. T2 never stood a chance, and was picked up by one of them and pounded against the wall several times before it broke apart. The Grathca roared and whirled around, its six eyes red with battle haze.

Screeching in anger, T3 let loose with his flame thrower, enveloping one Grathca with a sheet of white-hot fire. 3C shocked the other Grathca with a bolt of electricity. Aurek jumped behind it and with deadly skill sliced through its throat with his vibro-shiv. Yellow blood splattered the projector.

The last Grathca, disoriented from the impact, stumbled up. The last thing it saw was a large rectangle-shaped object flying at it…

Besh finally gained the upper hand and leaped off the Grathca, firing from both blasters at it, but the beast kept on coming.

[_Head_!]

[What?]

[Head, stupid!]

[This is no time for insults-]

[For the maker's sake_, shoot it in the head_!]

[Oh…] Besh focused his fire on the head of the Grathca, and it exploded like a balloon, spraying both with yellow blood and gore.

T3 prodded the now headless body for a moment, as if deciding what to do. Then he turned to the surviving Grathca, lying unconscious on the floor with a giant lump on its head from the table Aurek had thrown at it.

Five minutes later, the unhappy Grathca was sitting in the force-field-sealed side compartment off the Main Hold with Besh guarding it and the other three droids were dashing across the hangar.

* * *

Matthews cursed. He brought the fusion cutter against the panel one last time, before slumping his shoulders in defeat. Revan brought him down and placed him against the wall. "Systems overload. We only just set up camp here. Something must have disrupted the power lines and sent a feedback through the systems. But there's no reboot installed yet, nor a secondary system. Until then, we're trapped."

Revan sighed and slumped against the wall next to Matthews. "Can't someone manually restart the system?"

"Theoretically, yes. But those who haven't been killed by the Grathca would have evacuated to the ships by now."

"I wish you'd have a little faith in Teethree. He won't be long now…"

On the other hand, T3 wouldn't be long in two ways. He was currently running, or rolling, for his life, with 3C and Aurek right behind him. From the comm signals they had intercepted, the remainder of the Torrent excavation crew had returned to the _Renegade_ with the recovered tech.

A maintenance hatch, too roughly cut and still awaiting refitting, therefore useless to use unless someone had the right tools…or a T3-series droid that had gone through so many illegal modifications that you would need a starship to pile up the fees and copyright violations, had its cover taken off. While Aurek and 3C kept the Grathca at bay with blastefire and bursts of flames, T3 set to work hacking at the panel.

[Might want to speed things up a bit.] Aurek suggested as he blasted a Grathca that got too close.

T3 complained that it was hard to work when his audio receptors were overflowing with junk noise. Could they please incinerate or blast apart the insect-descended enemy a little quieter?

3C sputtered something about him having his head screwed on wrong and maybe he should go over and rescrew it for him before they were overwhelmed.

The problem was that the lift shaft had been made with melted-down ore from the Devoltar, which contained cortosis and phrik, something hard to cut, even for lightsabers. An example was the loud cursing from the other side of the hatch. Matthews, suspended by Revan, was hacking at the hatch with both Revan's lightsaber and an arc torch.

[Screw this!] Aurek decided. In a very un-droid-like manner, he shoved T3 aside, who moved to take his place in providing covering fire, and began setting detonite strips on the hatch. [We're going to blow the hatch!] Aurek warned, jumping back.

"What did he say?" Revan roared up to Matthews.

"Something about lowering his back?...-" _**KA-BOOM!**_

Revan had barely enough time to bring Matthews down towards him before a mini-mushroom cloud shot out of the hatch. What was unfortunate was that Matthews not only came down towards him, but he came down on top of him. Revan's vision blurred as he tried to ignore the pain in his lower chest and…below.

"Gerroffme!" He said in an octave higher. Matthews groaned and rolled off Revan. As the soldier prepared to stand up, he shrieked like a little girl as an ascension cable embedded itself on the floor a few centimeters from his hand. Revan glanced at the ascension cable, then at the droids waiting at the hatch, and finally at Matthews, who shrugged sheepishly.

* * *

Inside the _Renegade_, Phiran watched a live hologram of Aurek running down the corridor. "What do you mean, it'll only take a few minutes? We've got Grathca pounding on the hull!"

[I repeat; take off, Master Phiran. We can extract Revan and Matthews via the _Ebon Hawk_.]

Phiran swore inwardly. The detonite strips placed throughout the ship were still active, and he could detonate them at a moment's notice. But he'd rather do that when they weren't inside the ship. Revan and Matthews were running with them, but at the rate they were going, they would be overwhelmed before they reached the _Ebon Hawk_.

"For gods sake! What the hell are…" There was a loud explosion. "Was that from the hologram or outside?"

"Outside."

[_Renegade_, _Renegade_! We are being tailed by Grathca! Some help would be nice!]

Phiran hesitated for a moment. "What…the…"

"_PHIRAN! WE NEED HELP STAT!_" Now _that_ was unmistakably Revan.

"Oh Sithspit!" Phiran ran to the bridge "Get this walking cannon in the air now!"

The _Renegade_'s landing struts retracted and its thrusters kicked in, incinerating several Grathca. Others sank their claws into the hull and hung there.

Crew personnel ran to the turret ports. Retractable blaster cannons and quad lasers unfolded and slid out of their compartments. Revan, Matthews, and the droids found themselves surrounded by a sea of plasma bolts being churned out by the second.

The boarding ramp lowered, and several Torrent marines shot grappling lines at the five running figures. T3 screeched as he was hauled up by one leg. A few kilometers away from them, the _Ebon Hawk_, piloted by Besh, knocked several Grathca against the wall of the hangar as it blasted off of the asteroid's surface.

Although around twenty Grathca still clung stubbornly to the hull, and knowing that they would survive at least twenty minutes after they left the asteroid, Phiran ordered the crew to take off.

As the two ships blasted off into hyperspace, the wreck of the _Devoltar_ detonated in a brilliant mushroom cloud, sending debris and bodies flying.

They had the tech. Now it was time for the hard part…

* * *

Phiran found Revan in the gym, hacking through a training droid with the younger members of the Torrent Jedi watching him. Armed with a plastoid training sword, Revan had long destroyed the hit sensors on the droid's body and was simply beating it to pieces. By one wall, a discarded Torrent needler lay against the wall, with shell casings littering the floor around it. Phiran made a mental note to contact maintenance and to tell them to replace the wall, seeing as it was full of tracer rounds and looked like it would catch fire any moment.

"Got something on your mind?" Phiran asked. Revan stiffened and with a final _thwak_, he separated the droid's head from its shoulders. He then Force-called the needler to his outstretched hand, and used the last few rounds to atomize the droid's processor.

"You know you just sounded like Jolee?" Revan asked, grabbing a towel and smothering his face in it. He wore an undershirt and the pants of his Jedi tunic. A blaster pistol hung from his belt, as well as his assorted collection of lightsabers. To Phiran, he looked like one of the Jedi spacers that were in the database.

"Well, it must run in the family." Phiran chuckled. Revan nodded to Thalia and Mekel. The pair, both wearing the undergarments of their flight suits, walked up to him. Revan handed them each a short baton.

"Try and hit me with it." Revan ordered. The pair raised their eyebrows. Revan glared at them. Then, without warning, Revan ran towards them. Mekel and Thalia immediately charged at what they thought was an easy target.

Without so much as receiving a bruise, Revan floored Mekel. Thalia tried to stop, but Revan Force-hurled Mekel's stunned body into her, sending both sprawling on the floor.

"Again!" Revan barked. They tried. They failed. This went on four more times. Phiran was amazed that they kept on complying. Mekel looked as if he was about to faint, and Thalia was developing a nasty looking bruise, most of which was hidden by her shirt, but her visible lower chest was rapidly changing colors.

"Learn from your mistakes!" Revan barked. He charged at them. They responded with their own charge. They failed.

"This is idiotic!" Mekel growled. He threw down his baton. Revan charged at him, ignoring his words. This time, however, Mekel Force-flipped backwards, followed shortly by Thalia. Revan stopped short.

"Good!" He said, breathing heavily "When you face a single opponent, be prepared to retreat. Never ever underestimate your opponent. For example; neither of you would take on Darth Acheron by yourselves or with each other, would you?"

Mekel could only wheeze. Revan panted and motioned for them to drop their batons. The other young Torrent officers leaned forward in anticipation.

Revan had them pair up on the training mats. After watching them spar for a few minutes, Revan raised his hand for them to stop. He shook his head in disgust. "Dromund Kaas is nothing like you've ever seen." He barked. Turning his head, Revan nodded to T3. The repulsorlift platforms underneath the mats activated and lifted the combatants up into the air.

"Revan to CombatSim, we're ready to begin."

"Copy that. Activating Allanteen Battle 7." Revan nodded and walked into the changing room, his towel hanging over his shoulder.

Phiran's jaw dropped. He didn't know what the Allanteen Battle simulation was, but Level 7 was one of ten different settings for the Combat and Environment Simulation Room. Level 7 involved using the full ten-story 230 meter by 350 meter room. It also utilized the rarely-used dormitories on Deck 45, as well as the adjacent hangars 7 and 12. That was for large scale battles, not normal combat simulations. What was Revan planning?

"Uh…Revan?"

"Yeah?" Revan said from behind the door of the changing room.

"Why not set the mode for 6? Or 4?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that we would be fighting pansy-assed cavemen with plastoid sticks. This is war." He emerged and Phiran caught his breath. Standing in front of him was a being so evil that he had to do all he could to keep from grabbing one of the stun staffs on the rack and charging at him.

The man wore a black flowing cape that shimmered and seemed to swim as he moved. He wore a full-length black _kama_ combat skirt with a red ceremony fabric falling in-between his legs. On his torso was a grey armorweave shirt with a burnished bronze breastplate. A combat rig crisscrossed his lower torso. He wore gauntlets the same color as his breastplate, and a dark hood. Covering his face was a black-and-red Mandalorian mask. He wielded a blood-red blade of plasma in his right hand.

"Tell them to activate the simulation." Revan said. His voice sounded strangely deep and sinister in the mask. And Phiran didn't detect any uneasiness from Revan, almost as if he was at ease in the getup.

"Well?"

"On it." Phiran held up his comlink "This is Phiran. Initiate Allanteen Battle 7."

* * *

Rain poured down in Mekel's forehead as they entered the room. All had changed into very disturbing clothing. Those without Force sensitivity were put in orange-and-yellow jumpsuits with orange combat helmets. Those with Force sensitivity were given blue, orange, brown, and beige robes to wear. All had combat armor strapped on over their robes. Mekel recalled them as the robes of a Jedi. Why were they being given the robes of the Republic Jedi?

What was more, one of the other trainees heard that people from all over the ship were being put into the simulation. How many people would be in this simulation. He couldn't help but overhear the command to begin the simulation. Allanteen sounded familiar. Allanteen…followed by a number…

"Does this seem oddly familiar to you?" Thalia murmured. The rain brought back memories of their life in the Republic.

"I'm pretty sure I've heard the name Allanteen before…" Mekel began as they walked into the simulation along with the small group of "Republic soldiers" and "Jedi" that were part of their group. Mud splattered his boots and ferns tickled his legs. They were in a forest of some sorts, with an artificial night sky above them, which Mekel could only tell by the few openings in the clouds. It wasn't actually raining; carefully placed hoses mimicked the properties of rain, from a light drizzle to a blinding thunderstorm.

Suddenly, a blaster bolt whizzed through the trees and hit the ground near them. "Down!" Mekel barked, activating his lightsaber. It blazed to life, and he swatted the next few bolts aside. They burned marks into the trees, but did not create little halos of fire, indicating that they weren't full-power bolts, only minimum-power. But they weren't stun bolts, and being hit by one meant having your skin seared. That wasn't good.

"Two bogies coming in at your two o'clock." Thalia whispered. She was glancing through the scope of her rifle, using the heat detection setting.

"I see them…" Mekel made to stand up when the mud in front of him exploded.

"What the…?" They could only gasp as what looked for all the world like Aurek Tactical Strikefighters sped overhead, with S-250 _Chela_'s dropping bombs in the canopy. The Aureks danced with Sith Interceptors, sending stray laser bolts into the forest.

"Find cover, fast!" The group ran through the hail of red plasma before reaching a clearing. In it, a group of Republic soldiers were operating several cannon emplacements on top of a mobile command center. A quick glance with the Force told Mekel that they were holographic droids, not people.

"Sith forces have breached the compound! Inform Jedi Master Qual that we are unable to hold this position much longer!" This came from a grainy hologram a few feet from the cannon emplacement on the far right.

Mekel's breath caught in his throat. Not only did the mention of the long-dead Selkath Qual shake him to the core, it was the person's holographic face: Jedi Master Dorak. Presumed dead at the Conclave on Katarr.

"That's…that can't be…" Thalia tried and failed to get her words out.

"Master Jedi, you heard what Master Dorak said!" The trooper barked. Another bolt shattered the transparent frontal viewport of the mobile command center and knocked him to the floor.

"Repeat, can you confirm signs of Revan?" A woman manning the communications console asked frantically "What do you mean, _why don't you get out here and look for yourself?_...well how about Darth Voren? Bandon?"

"Sith Admiral Varko is demanding our surrender." One of the Torrent Jedi said, fully immersing himself into the simulation.

"Tell him to go to hell." Mekel said, deciding that the only way to find out what the hell was going on with this simulation was to be part of it.

"Copy that," The Torrent Jedi chuckled.

"_This is Gamma Leader, we have reports of a black unidentified shuttle landing in Sector J-14. Possible Dark Leader 1 or 2 in it_."

[_Tell all units to hold position at F-34 and G-02. Order all artillery to bring that shuttle down!_] This came from the hologram of Opila, who had been provided with a holographic-emitting backpack that gave him the appearance of a grizzled Besalisk Jedi Guardian. Its four arms allowed him to use his four lightsabers.

"_Sith forces are covering the shuttle. We can't get a clear line of fire!_"

"_I've got a shot! I'm taking it!_"

"_We have a stream of figures ejecting from the shuttle…crap! All units fall back! We have a confirmed sighting of Darth Revan and Voren!_"

Mekel stared at Thalia, who stared back at him. Revan? Their Revan?

"_Juggernaut Beta-43, get out of there! We have Sith forces coming your way!_" With a jolt, Mekel realized that they meant their mobile command center. The mobile base turned its large legs and began marching back towards the supposed forward base, cannons firing nonstop into the trees.

"All troops, this is Commander…uh…Algwinn!" Mekel said, wincing inside as he used Kel's name. He didn't know if the simulation would allow him to use his own name. Then again, why shouldn't it? Maybe he was thinking of the horrible way Kel had…well, they didn't know if he died for sure. "Disembark and provide covering fire while the heavier units retreat!"

The back doors of the behemoth opened up, and Republic soldiers and Jedi charged out. Sith forces previously hiding in the trees broke cover and charged as well. Blaster bolts peppered the shielded hull of the command center, causing little rainbow bursts with every hit. Lightsabers flashed as the Jedi cut down the Sith troopers or were shot from fighting at such close quarters.

As Mekel impaled a "Sith trooper", he couldn't help but wince. He had once walked side-by-side with men who wore the Sith armor as comrades. It felt strange to be hacking and eviscerating them, even if they were just holographic droids.

"Allanteen...of course!" Mekel realized "This is the battle of Allanteen 6! During Revan and Malak's campaign!"

A bolt caught Thalia in the shoulder and she went down. Mekel ran over to her, but she waved him off. She showed him her shoulder, where only a small welt had risen. "Sting bolt." She explained "Guess there's too much of a risk of actually killing us at this close a range." Even so, she was still in the fight.

A Sith commando, set apart by his bronze armor, charged them, double-bladed vibro-blade ready to attack. Mekel parried the first strike on his blade, and Thalia caught the other half of the weapon with her lightsaber blade. With a swift twirl, Mekel disarmed the trooper and Thalia ran him through.

"What's Revan playing at?" Thalia growled, Force-shoving the trooper's body into the next few Sith troopers. A couple Dark Jedi, with their black hoods and cloth covering their mouths, sliced through the corpses flung at them by the Torrent Jedi and charged. One "impaled" a junior Sentinel. These lightsabers weren't the shock rods that the Temple used, but neither were they full lightsabers. These were low-powered training lightsabers that delivered a medium burn opposed to amputation or decapitation, wounds that could be healed with bacta later on.

The Sentinel dropped out, and disappeared as the section of floor underneath him lowered. He was out of the simulation and on to the infirmary. Had it been an actual attack, he would have been skewered through his lungs.

Just as the amount of troopers seemed to lessen, Mekel sensed an increase in the dark side of the Force coming towards them. "Not a droid…" Thalia shuddered "…do you think…?"

Mekel could only shrug. He didn't know how badly the battle of Dezhagon had affected Revan. The loss there had changed all of them. But Revan couldn't…he wouldn't….would he? Then again, all their questions were answered when two figures leapt out of the underbrush.

"Revan!" Mekel gasped "What's the big idea, boss?"

Revan either didn't hear him, or he ignored him. His lightsaber activated with a _snap-hiss_. The man next to him removed his hood. "Darth Voren, dispose of these two." Revan said. Mekel was almost bursting with anger and frustration. The droid portraying "Voren" was wearing Dustil's face.

"You've got to be kidding me." Thalia protested "I'm not going to kill Dustil!" Nevertheless, she raised her blade hesitantly, trying not to look at the face of one of her closest friends.

"Then die…" Dustil/Voren growled. He lunged forward, batting aside Thalia's blade and Force-hurling her into a tree before she could react. Caught off-guard, she slumped to the ground, dazed.

Mekel activated his yellow blade and charged at Dustil/Voren. The Sith was still facing Thalia, and Mekel had a clear shot. But when he turned around, and Mekel saw Dustil's face, he faltered. That gave Dustil/Voren enough time to envelop him in "Force lightning", and fling him aside.

Mekel landed in the mud, coughing and sputtering. "Sorry, my friend." He murmured. As Dustil/Voren charged towards him, Mekel Force-called Thalia's blade to his free hand. Catching Dustil/Voren's blade on his primary lightsaber, Mekel telekinetically hurled the other around Dustil/Voren, and then pulled it into his back. He tried not to wince as the droid gave a scream in Dustil's voice and fell. The droid glanced up pleadingly at him before the hologram disappeared.

Then Revan was upon him. "Revan, what the hell are you doing? I demand an answer!" Mekel screeched. Fueled by rage, he surprisingly kicked Revan's blade from his hand and knocked him to the ground. Revan crawled backwards, holding his stinging hand. Mekel had a clear shot at him. But he didn't take advantage of that. Instead, he lowered his blade and held out a hand to help Revan up. Revan had to have an explanation for this…

"Fool…" Revan snarled. He enveloped Mekel, this time with _real_ Force lightning, and sent him flying back. As Mekel scrambled in the mud, Revan advanced upon him, wielding both his own blade and Mekel's.

"Revan…please…" Mekel pleaded. He wasn't sure how far Revan was going to take this. He didn't know if Revan's blade was real or a training blade. With Revan, you could never tell. And he knew that _his_ lightsaber wasn't a training one "Think about what you're doing…"

Revan raised his blades for the kill…and then deactivated them. The rain stopped, and the floodlights activated in the room. The holographic starfighters disappeared. The trees and mud didn't: They were "real", so-to-speak. The trees were a mix of camouflaged sensors and actual trees from the greenhouse. The mud was real.

"If I had been Acheron or one of her cronies, you would be dead." Revan said before tossing Mekel's lightsaber to him "Think about that when we arrive at Dromund Kaas."

Mekel growled. The floors sank away beneath them, taking the trees and mud with it, leaving him sitting on a platform jutting out from a series of catwalks that crisscrossed the floor. Below them, a large white cavern extended all the way to the armories, with similar catwalks and mock-ups of the layout of the outskirts of Kaas City. All his old anger and frustrations rose in his chest. With a roar, he flung himself at Revan. The former Sith Lord removed his mask and flung it at Mekel, catching him across the stomach and driving the wind from him.

"I think your little vengeance quest is going to kill us all!" Mekel snapped as he held one hand to his aching ribs. The mask lay beside him on the cold metal, gleaming in the light from below.

"LITTLE VENGEANCE QUEST?" From the observation lounge jutting from the ceiling, Phiran winced. Revan sure knew how to yell.

"As far as I'm concerned, the names of Kel Algwinn, Jolee Bindo, Yuthura Ban, and countless others aren't 'little' to me!"

"Yeah, well that list is going to get bigger the more people you draw into your suicidal journey!" Mekel was yelling at the top of his lungs now. "This is not justice! This is revenge, plain and simple! You're not here to ensure that the Sith Empire doesn't rise! You're here to kill one woman!"

"That one woman has turned my life into a living nightmare!"

"Oh, 'your life'? How about _our lives_? The world doesn't revolve around you, nor has it ever! You're not the hero in one of those holonovels! We don't all get justice from those who have wronged us!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you all found me a self-centered maniac when you stood behind me in battle!"

"We trusted you with our lives!" Mekel accused.

"_I didn't ask you to come out here!_ Heck, if I hadn't decided to waste time and redeem sleemos like you and your girlfriend here, you'd all have been killed when I killed Wynn!" Mekel growled and raised his fist to strike Revan. Revan prepared a ball of Force lightning…

"That's enough." The sentence, simple and soft-spoken, stopped both of them. Phiran stood at the entrance to the catwalk, lightsaber in hand but unlit. His eyes burned with angry fire. After a few moments of silence, Mekel lowered his fist and Revan extinguished the crackling energy in his hand. Phiran walked slowly towards them.

"Revan, last I checked, we're not fighting against those we love. Dustil, maybe, and a few others, but not the rest of us. Mekel, I don't know how many times I must say this, but we don't argue about past actions. You made a choice to follow Revan, and that choice was yours to make. And try to see it from his point of view. Both of you have suffered terrible losses, Revan perhaps more, but that doesn't give you a right to take it out on each other." Mekel lowered his head, unable to meet Phiran's eyes. Revan stared at Phiran for a moment before raising his hand. Mekel looked up and cautiously shook it.

"_Attention all hands: We are approaching Shadow Zone. Report to your battle stations_."

Phiran glanced up, gazing at the comm, before turning around and walking out the door, robes flowing behind him. The others followed shortly, Revan lingering behind to pick up his mask. Running his fingers over the worn surface, he thought back to the Mandalorian Wars, and when he found the mask, lying abandoned like the corpse of the woman that owned it who tried and failed to stand up for what she believed in. Gripping it in his hands, he gazed at the wall, the metal melting away from his eyes as he looked past it, through crew quarters, corridors, and other various rooms, until he was looking at the stars.

"Be ready Emperor. I'm coming."

* * *

Please R & R!


	34. Chapter 34: The best laid plans

Sorry it took so long to upload. College and stuff.

I've got a whole section written out. Will be uploading a new story shortly after Christmas.

Just started SW:TOR, it's really good!

* * *

Rain hammered on the hull and lightning cracked around them. Several times, Revan nearly threw up in his crash-net. In the seats next to him, two soldiers nervously checked their rifles and re-secured their grenade belts for the seventh time.

With only the faint outline of water dripping from the wings, the shuttle continued its descent, like a silent bird of prey. It usually would be undetectable, but in this rain, the water created a chameleon-like image, distorting the projected image of what the shuttle blocked from view. But no one would be looking up in this hurricane. Only the beeping of a blue light above their heads indicated that they had entered the atmosphere.

"Welcome to Dromund Kaas." Phiran muttered darkly. Revan removed his crash-netting and stumbled up to the cockpit. Ahead, he could only see rain, rain, and the occasional flash of lightning. Somewhere above them, the _Ebon Hawk_ and the _Renegade_ sat hovering just above where the defensive shield would be, cloaked by their fields and the storm clouds.

"No sign of trouble so far." Juhani commented.

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Revan murmured "Nice and slow, Hudrow; just like in the simulators." Hudrow barely budged his head nor removed the grim concentrated look on his face. They all knew what the stakes were if they lost.

"Black One to Silhouette, Black One to Silhouette; we're nearing Blackout Position. Prepare for comm silence."

"Copy Black One. Black Legion is fueled and ready on your mark. Black Home One and Black Home Two, remain at your position."

Revan almost felt himself being sliced to bits as they passed through the laser defense grid. The stealth systems had worked, he was sure. If it hadn't, then the grid would have activated and the shuttle would be destroyed by the crisscross of high-radiation beams.

He felt as if someone was watching him for a moment, but the feeling passed. It felt…familiar almost, but with a sense of dread. Unnerved, he leaned over Juhani's shoulder. "How long until the next sensor sweep?"

"They just finished one before we entered the grid. Maybe an hour or so…"

"Revan, the stealth system will hold. They wouldn't be able to detect us unless they were actually looking for us." Phiran reminded him. Lightning illuminated the window briefly after he spoke.

The shuttle made it pass the cloud layer, and they were now flying over lush jungle. Revan could see birds from the cockpit viewport. But underneath it all, he could sense the stench of the Dark Side of the Force. The rain was still coming down hard. Ahead was a giant array of tall silver structures surrounded by giant walls and defense turrets. They could see a stream of construction and merchant vessels coming to and from the city.

"Kaas City." Phiran said. Placed at random locations and having different heights were hundreds of AA defense towers. Like large poles stuck haphazardly in the ground, they ringed the city at random locations.

Each turret fired a quad of compressed plasma shots with enough force to punch through body armor without causing surrounding damage. In addition, instead of being operated by a droid AI, each turret had a mix; a tracking crew _and_ an AI, like the turbolaser batteries of a capital ship. As a final touch, a set of missile launchers rested underneath each quad cannon.

"Home free…" Revan murmured. "Alright, there's a construction site five klicks west of here. We'll enter the aqueduct system from there, emerge within the city, and…"

"Hold on…" Juhani pressed her headset to her ear "Oh _kriff_…" The silent alarms began flashing a riot of colors all aroud them.

"They've locked onto our comm signal!" Hudrow warned.

"_I thought that thing was offline!_" Revan exclaimed.

"Residual energy. They just did a sonar sweep. There still must have been enough background noise for the turret AIs to pick up and..."

"We entered five minutes after the last sweep! No way did they decide to do an impromptu sweep!"

"I have fifteen incoming targets closing at 45 mph!"

"How the hell did they find us?"

Revan grimaced. The presence was watching him again. He visualized a tendril of dark seductive energy poking at his mind. A female presence was behind it. _Is that you, Revan?_ Acheron whispered so very far away. Revan instinctively drew in on his presence in the Force until he was almost hidden from it. Then he visualized a _**very**_ sharp vibroblade and stabbed at the tendril. Acheron hissed and withdrew from his mind.

"Acheron." Revan said out loud. The others stared at him. "…she sensed me, but she didn't get a location! We're still-…"

Revan nearly let the contents of his breakfast go out the wrong way as Hudrow sent the shuttle into a tight corkscrew descent before pulling up so sharply that they could feel leaves brushing against the hull. He didn't finish the sentence and he didn't have to. No one would have paid attention anyway, since they were more worried about the blips on the radar.

"Scanning…fifteen targets inclosing…signature indicates baradium, durasteel, duraplast…they're missiles!"

Two missiles hit the canopy layer, sending branches and birds scattering, but the other thirteen pulled up. "One missile closing…" There was a loud explosion and the shuttle rocked.

"Damage report!" Phiran barked.

"It didn't hit us. They're implanted with a proximity-activated detonation switch should they get close enough but not fast enough."

"They're depth charges/warning shots. They're to find our location and then meant to frighten us rather than blow us out of the sky." Juhani murmured. Behind them, Mekel cursed and gave up trying to douse the flames that had engulfed his _very important_ console. The lights flickered.

"Stealth systems offline!"

Two more detonated close enough to shear off a few centimeters of the port engine nozzle. "Pulluppulluppullup!" Revan roared. Hudrow swerved to the side and avoided the tower below one of the turrets. One missile hit the tower, sending that turret crashing into the ground, felling trees and scattering animals.

"Take us into the city." Revan ordered.

"What?! You're crazy! That's like baiting a kath pup and then walking towards its mother with your arms wide open and eyes closed."

"There's a steady stream of pirate and transport activity to and from the city. Disrupt that and you have chaos, ships flying everywhere. We can hope to outmaneuver the missiles there. Maybe we can even evade the Sith completely!"

Hudrow pressed his hands to his headset. "The _Ebon Hawk_'s detecting multiple Sith fighters incoming on its position. They've seen about four squadrons so far."

"How?! The _Hawk_ was beyond their normal detection grid…"

"Then I guess someone bothered to look up! _Renegade_'s moving away to avoid detection." If they were after the _Ebon Hawk_, then they thought Revan was onboard, and their main focus wasn't the shuttle.

Suddenly the shuttle rocked again. "That wasn't a missile detonation. That was cannon fire!" Revan realized. On the radar, the ten remaining missiles were still tracking the shuttle, but had slowed down.

"We're receiving a comm signal."

[Unidentified shuttle, you have violated Dromund Kaas airspace without authorization and with the use of a cloaking system without authorization. You are ordered to disengage any weapons systems you have and let us escort you to Security Zone A-45 where you will be processed and your vessel impounded. If you do not comply, we are authorized to and will use lethal force.]

"Six Mark V Interceptors." Revan said, glancing at the navigation map. He remembered their strategy from the time he and Malak had spent with the Emperor. "Squadron Leader is in the front. They aren't flying in scramble formation, so they don't know who we are yet." The lighter and faster fighters were closing fast on the shuttle. "They'll break formation once we've gone fifteen klicks towards the city from our current position, scramble if we open fire on them, and then take out our wings. Once those are gone, they'll try and shoot us down, or we'll be blown out of the sky by the other turrets."

"That's not very helpful news." Juhani began when the comm crackled to life again.

[Repeat, if you do not comply we will open fire-]

"To hell with you!" Hudrow snapped into his headset. Opila activated the rear defense turret and blasted two of the fighters out of the sky. The rest opened fire with laser cannons. The shuttle, now trying to outrun the remaining ten missiles and hemmed in by Sith fighters, was outmaneuvered and outgunned.

"Take us into the city, gorramit!" Revan barked "Or I will shove you off that seat and do it myself!"

Hudrow cursed and brought the shuttle in the direction of Kaas City. "I think we can lose a couple more if I try something…"

"What exactly do you mean by 'try something'?" Juhani asked nervously.

Hudrow's answer was to bring the shuttle on a downward dive, straight towards the thinner top of the city wall. Even there it was thirty meters thick and made with durasteel. An impact at the speed Hudrow was going would destroy the shuttle.

"Fierfek! You're going to kill us all!" Revan shouted. Hudrow ignored him and sped up. At the last second he launched the shuttle's entire array of missiles and let loose with all cannons, even the rear ones, which could only fire at a diagonal angle when swung forward.

The section ahead exploded in a giant fireball that enveloped them as they flew into it. Revan winced, waiting for impact. Instead, there were only several bangs as if the shuttle bounced off something. But even a couple bangs were enough to throw the crew around.

They emerged, a little cooked and with a couple of fires on the wings, but alive. On the other side of the wall, all but one of the Interceptors had been destroyed by the explosion. The remaining fighter made it through the hole that Hudrow had blasted…only to be hit by the still-firing rear cannons, which had swung back around.

The shuttle continued at a raised altitude, flying higher and higher. Hudrow grimaced as he simultaneously activated the shuttle's fire extinguishing system and fought to bring the ship under control.

"I think we're in the clea-…"

**KA-BOOM!** _**SHRRIIIIEEEEEKKK!**_

Revan, who had been standing up, hit the floor. There were cries of shock from the aft compartment. The weapon lockers popped open, shaken by the impact, and personal kits bounced back and forth throughout the ship. Several ammo clips smashed into Juhani's head, and two more bounced off Revan's arm.

"Three direct hits to our port engine!" Hudrow reported. He wrestled with the controls, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the next two missiles "Make that two additional hits to our upper starboard engine. I've lost control!"

The shuttle, still heading towards the sky, slowed to just a crawl, and then it swerved to a sharp downward angle. Revan was thrown against the wall, along with Phiran and Opila as the G-force on them increased.

Hudrow struggled, but failed to keep the shuttle level and it continued to hurdle towards Kaas City. "Urgh…get…us…over…that…landing…pad!" Revan winced, using the Force to stabilize him as he reached forward to grab onto Hudrow's chair.

"Wh-…what?" Hudrow grunted. But he didn't argue, either from the strain on his body or the fact that there were no other viable options. With the maneuvering thrusters still online, he managed to level the shuttle just enough to aim it at a landing pad on the top of a tall building.

Six security droids standing on the pad alongside a cargo speeder watched as the object trailing smoke and fire drew closer and closer. They raised their blaster rifles and began firing a few shots…that bounced harmlessly off the hull.

"IF WE DIE I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Phiran roared as the landing pad filled their vision. Revan ignored him and Force-pulled himself and the others back into the crew compartment. The shuttle hit the pad with a _BANG_ and skidded across, leaving a shower of sparks, the crushed cargo speeder, and the severed legs of two of the droids. One half of the speeder laid where it had been, the ripped end sparking and flaming. The other part of the speeder was tangled underneath the shuttle, and caught on the pad, freeing the shuttle and sending the still-moving wreck into a wild skid.

With the engines still running, the shuttle bounced and continued moving. As it neared the edge of the pad, the cabin broke off from the now-empty cockpit, which continued its journey off the pad and smashed into the window of a nearby building.

The four remaining droids glanced at each other, and then raised their rifles at the wreckage, cautiously approaching.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, with a chorus of _snap-hisses_, a score of Jedi Knights leaped out onto the landing pad, followed by a squad of Torrent marines who opened fire. The droids hit the deck, all resembling cratered lumps.

They were on the landing pad of a Kaas City hospital. With a flick of his wrists, Revan opened the double-glass doors of the roof entrance. A lone security guard sat at his desk, glancing at something on his terminal when Revan marched in and drew his attention by activating his lightsaber. The guard stood up

"Hey, you can't be-…" Rohlan raised his Verpine multi-round shatter-pistol and put two bullets in the security guard's forehead. He slumped down back in his chair.

The elevator guards in the next room ran in to investigate. Rohlan incapacitated two with shots between the legs. Revan took out the third by ducking behind a wall and swinging his arm out just as the guard ran past, hitting him across the face. As the guard doubled over, Revan chopped down on his spine before snapping his neck.

The fourth and final guard raised his rifle to fire and had it blown up in his face by a shot from Rohlan's wrist launcher, followed by the swift loss of his right forearm at the hands of Phiran. Rohlan boxed him on both sides of the head with his fist and the butt of his pistol, before finishing him off with a single shot to the heart, and the guard went down. So did the pistol; like its single-round counterpart, the Verpine weapon was fragile, and though it had been customized, that last hit was too much for it. Rohlan discarded the broken weapon and drew his two blaster pistols.

The first two struggled up painfully, before their chests were filled with tracer rounds from Matthews's rotating blaster cannon. They staggered for a moment before collapsing.

"We're in the Helius Biotech Corporation Hospital." Mekel reported as he sliced into the dead guard's terminal, shoving the body aside.

"All hospitals and Imperial gov buildings are connected by an underground tram network." Phiran said. "Try and see if you can raise Corner Man."

"Black One to Corner Man, Black One to Corner Man. We are on the street, repeat, we are on the street."

"Well, 'bout time. Thought you guys weren't coming. I had a whole party laid out for you."

"Nice to hear your voice as well, Zayne. How's life on the other side?"

"Hate my name, 'Corner Man'. Sounds like some beggar on the corner of a street. Well, there's one important thing."

"What?"

"The food is WAY better than the junk that Phiran's cooks serve up."

"I'll tell them to prepare a feast of it for you when we get back." Phiran muttered darkly. He searched through the database. This hospital was maintained by a Darth Hostis. Young, and Zeltron, she reportedly had a knack for taking a lover and then murdering him. Typical of a Sith. He wordlessly typed in the command to seal her sleeping quarters and to activate the invasion protocol. Gas would flood in and suffocate her within minutes.

"Find the Shard spies?"

"Yeah. Turns out the security droids I pass everyday were two of them. Nearly scared me to death when they walked into our apartment. Where are you?"

"We're on the roof of the HBC Hospital."

"Ah. Nice place. And the lady at the front desk, _WOW_, I mean she is-YEOW! That was a joke, Jarael!"

"Uh-huh. Find any information on where they've been holding Dustil and the others?"

"Yeah, I heard about that. What, you send us away on a deep cover ops just before the Sith turn Dezhagon into a glass ball and suddenly everything goes to hell?"

"…"

"Fine. They're being held in Imperial Center. Some honchos called Darth Feran, Caras, Lethe, and Xalak interrogate them daily. Jarael managed to sneak in a spy droid on one of the laundry droids."

Revan nodded "Send us the coordinates. We'll comm when we're inside." He clipped the comlink back onto his belt.

* * *

Please R & R!


	35. Chapter 35: Stage 1

"Ok, how do you sneak twenty Jedi and around that much but plus four marines, all wearing combat armor and robes that don't exactly say 'discreet'?" Revan asked as he and Phiran peaked from behind a corner at the retreating back view of a guard. She turned a corner and another guard took her place.

"This place is like a fortress." Revan muttered "And to think that every building in this city has the same amount of security. It's inconceivable!"

"Yeah, well…" As the guard neared the corner, Phiran's arm shot out and grabbed him by the neck, dragging him around the corner just as the next guard moved into the corridor. There was a muffled whimper and then the sound of someone being knocked out cold.

"…for once, that's a correct use of the word."

Two minutes later, the same guard who had just entered the corridor saw another guard, an old man who looked as if he knew how to use the rifle he was holding leading a dark-brown-haired man down the corridor in front of him, arms cuffed above his head.

"You!" The old guard barked "What's the meaning of this?"

"….sir?" The guard trembled. This was her third day on the job, and already she was being yelled at. Her parent's insistence that she go into scientific research was sounding pretty good right about now.

"I just caught two Torrent Jedi sneaking in through the roof access! Two days of probation and two hundred crunches in full armor for your inability to capture these buffoons!"

The guard gulped "Y-yes sir." As she turned around, Revan lunged forward and brought his arm around the guard's neck. A kick knocked the comlink out of her hand, and a leg wrapped around her chest knocked the rifle from her hands. The guard struggled for a few moments, and then passed out from lack of oxygen.

"Why do I get the woman's uniform?"

"Might be your long luscious..." Revan elbowed him in the stomach.

"_Umph_! As I was saying, if this is the best they have, then I'm crying inside. Seriously."

* * *

The Imperial garrison inside the hospital would have drawn some eyes. Today was a birthday for several of the officers, and a makeshift stripper pole had been set up, around which one of the female officers was dancing sensually, having discarded everything but her undergarments. A few security droids stood around, shooting bottles thrown in the air while officers made bets.

Now, two men dressed in guard uniforms entered the officer's mess. "Hey, this party is for officers only, grunts!" a commander with a huge moustache growled "I suggest you get…"

Revan and Phiran pulled out two automatic repeating blaster carbines each, and sprayed the room with bullets, destroying security droids, waiter droids, officers, and cameras alike.

"Clear!" Phiran said as Revan ran forward and impaled Moustache on his lightsaber just as the man reached inside his jacket for his pistol. Revan held that position for a moment, and only when he heard the sound of the pistol firing into the man's chest did he shove the body away. Moustache had been on automatic when he had grabbed the pistol. He expected to fire it the moment he grabbed it, and it would presumably be out of his jacket already. Bad choice.

As the marines dragged the bodies into a supply closet, Revan opened the door to the stairwell on the other side of the room. "According to the schematics, the tram station is down there." Rohlan said.

"Matthews, have your men commandeer a couple military speeders in addition to what's already in the mission parameters." Revan said "We'll go on ahead and radio you when we find our men."

"Right." Matthews agreed "Cheks, Hadley! Take half the team and secure Target Battering Ram. Jedi May, Mekel-who-won't-get-a-last-name, and I'll take the other half and borrow us some new rims." He chuckled and began searching through the vehicle inventory of the building. Mekel on the other hand was imagining tying a string across a doorway at foot-height and having Matthews trip over it and fall into a vat of hydrochloric acid.

* * *

"I thought you said the buildings are connected by a tram network?" Revan said, face fixed in confusion as they entered a large room with two large tunnel entrances on either side of the far half. Each was big enough to fit two speeders traveling side-by-side with two feet in-between and high enough for seven speeders to be stacked without scraping the ceiling. On the half of the room closest to them were racks that held spherical pods that looked like they could seat four.

"I was simplifying it for your simple-thinking mind." Revan glared at Phiran. "You see those black flat circles on the bottom of each 'tram'? They connect to sensors on the floor of the tunnels. So in a way, they are trams."

"Not very combat-oriented." Juhani commented, glancing disapprovingly at the open sides. The upper-half of the front was glass, and on the back, there was just a large hole. "More like one of those Hell-Ball hover-carts they have on the fields of Corellia." When all she got from the non-Republic Jedi and Phiran were confused glances, she explained.

"Sort of like a combination of Golf and Target…except you're whacking the balls at the other team and those pikes they use aren't just for hitting the balls, to say the least. Since there is no defined space for each team, it's basically like a free for all, with people hitting their own team by accident since you're wearing blindfolds and can't see what exactly you hi-…" Phiran held up a hand for her to stop.

"_Juh'ika_, if there's one thing that these people don't know is all the fun junk that they're missing in civilization." Rohlan sighed as he examined the trams "I call 'rifle'." He swung into one of the seats.

"Alright, Jedi up front-everyone else follow behind us."

Revan stared down the dark tunnel as the two pods glided swiftly towards the prison. They passed under lights spaced evenly along the tunnel, briefly illuminating them before plunging them back into darkness. Although there were no security cams, Revan still felt uneasy.

"Prison up ahead." Phiran warned. The team readied their weapons.

Two guards on duty at the prison terminal watched in confusion as two empty pods arrived. Neither noticed the air shimmer. Of course, they were both lying unconscious on the ground a few moments later, courtesy of Juhani bashing both of their heads together. She de-cloaked and smiled as the others walked out of the shadows.

"Nice," Phiran chuckled.

They went up in two groups, taking the turbolifts to the monitoring room on the top floor. Revan's team, consisting of Revan, Phiran, Opila, Phond, T3-M4, and five other Jedi, went first. Juhani, Rohlan, Rubat, Adegan, and the rest of the Jedi went next. The remaining marines followed them.

"All right, freeze!" The supervising officer on duty turned around to find an oversized blaster aimed at him. Then the Mandalorian holding it lowered the weapon 30 degrees.

"Sir, there's a blaster aimed at your…" One of the younger lieutenants began. Opila aimed a repeating blaster at him, and, just for effect, let the swing-blade extend from the barrel.

"I know…" Rohlan raised the blaster until it was aimed at the officer's forehead "Better?"

"Not really…"

"Up against the wall." Revan barked. A soldier walked into the room through another door and was grabbed by Opila, elbowed in the face, kneed in the groin, and flung across the room. The others had the sense to get up against the wall.

While some of the junior Jedi bound and gagged the security crew, T3 rolled into the database room, walls lined with huge hard drives, and plugged into the network. After a few moments, he turned his head 180 degrees and let out two sharp bleeps.

"Are you sure? Maybe you read the data wrong?" Revan asked. T3 whistled angrily.

"What's going on?" Phiran murmured to Opila.

[T3-M4 is saying that the Prison Security System is on Level Omega, the highest level of security…and in response to Revan's questioning, he suggested that _he_ get down on his knees and jam his arm into a socket and see how far he gets.]

Revan raised his hands in defeat. "Sorry, Teethree."

[Blee-Bloo Beep! Dee-reeet! Bloooooooo…]

Revan sighed. "It's not just the prison. Fifteen minutes ago, the entire Dromund Kaas Defense Network went online. Their Home Fleet is on standby and all ground turbolaser and AA cannon emplacements are active."

"Someone knew that we were coming?"

"No, we got here a good three hours ago. It doesn't take that long for the Defense Network to activate. They must have found the wreckage of the shuttle cockpit."

"Shit…How long until the Torrent arrive?"

"Two hours, give or take."

"Can we contact them?"

"Doubt it. Even if we could, the Sith will be monitoring for any stray transmissions."

[There may be a way.] Opila suggested [If I can get access to the prison's communications array, I can piggyback a warning to the fleet on one of the planet's outgoing transmission.]

"There's a console right here. Can't you use that?" Revan asked.

[No. I would need the clearance codes of the garrison commander to be able to access the communications array.]

"Can you and your squad handle taking the ant farm?" Revan asked, using the military slang for the communications array. "We still have friends in need of rescuing."

[Yes.] With that, Opila and his team of Shard ran nimbly across the room, tore the cover off of an air duct, and disappeared inside, leaving no trace that they had ever been there.

"He has to teach me how to do that!" Rohlan chuckled before turning back to the console he was viewing "Ok, so Zaedra and the rest Hidden Beks are located two floors below on Level 54. Gadon, Se-ril and Dustil are in the maximum security area of Level 46. Colin Cel-Drem, Sorran, and the other Jedi all seem to be between levels 49-52."

"Rohlan, I want you, Gethe, Lemork, Teesk, and Malon to free the Beks." Revan said "Juhani, Phiran, Aurek, Besh, Teethree, and I will spring Public Enemies Numbers One, Two, and Three, Jedi Trelyn, take the rest and free your fellow Knights. Commandos Harkin and McKenzie, stay with and guard T3 while he hacks the network. Be ready to bang out once our little prison break is over."

As the others walked out of the room, Rohlan lingered behind. "I'll tell you a little secret." He whispered to the gagged guards as he removed a small cylinder from his armored backpack. "I'd rather say it to your Sith Emperor, but this'll do. Oh, and you have to promise not to tell anyone…"

Rohlan waited until McKenzie and Harkin disappeared behind the door to the database room, the door sealing shut behind them. He put on his helmet and opened the sphere. A cloud of thick noxious gas began to fill the room. The guards began struggling in terror, and once the gas hit them, they struggled even more…but only for a little while.

"…_Ke nu'jurkadir sha Mando'ade,__Ke nu jurkad ti Mando'ade, burc'ya, bal Mando'ad draar digur."_ Don't mess with Mandalorians, don't cross swords with Mandalorians, and a Mandalorian never forgets.

The avengement of Mandalore the Ultimate, tricked by the Sith Emperor, and the thousands of Mandalorians dead because of the treachery, had begun.

He walked away, reaching the door before glancing back at the guards. Yellow froth was coming out of some of their gags, while others were thrashing around. All were pale and sweaty. "_Re'turcye mhi_." Maybe we'll meet again.

Fingering his pistol, Rohlan sighed. "Hell…I really don't feel like meeting you guys again." The gas would finish them off; at least, he thought it would. "_Ret'lini._" Just in case.

Fourteen shots echoed through the hallway, but there was no one around to hear, save for the dismembered half-dead bodies of Sith guards lying in the wake of the Jedis' path.

* * *

**1 Hour Later…**

"Uh, Privee to CCT, we have four malfunctioning security droids moving towards us. Suggestions…?"

"_Wipe them out! What, are you a wimp!?_"

"N-no, sir! Open fire on-…"

_Snap-hiss, __**BANG!**_

"AAARRRGHHH!"

"Suppressing fire, suppressing-_OOMPH_!"

"What the-…"

_ Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-…KA-BOOM _(The rifle exploding)

"Command, we need…_static_…"

"_Privee? Privee? Lieutenant, what the hell just happened?!_"

[Uh…the droids went berserk. They started firing wildly. Almost hit us. Luckily, they took each other out.]

"_God, when will Command stop sending us this junk tech!? Send the remains to recycling_."

[Roger that sir, Privee out.]

[An excellent job.] Rubat noted as Opila switched back to his normal voice. For someone who could take out a whole platoon of tanks (long story), Rubat was one of very few words.

[And he speaks.] Phond said dryly. Adegan turned her head towards him and just let out a synthesized sigh.

[The garrison commander's quarters are just down the hall. He doesn't use a passcard, and only he knows the code.]

[How do you know he'll be there?]

[Let's just say he enjoys…certain…_artistic pursuits_…in his bed.]

[Ah…subordinates?]

[Only the Zeltrons, Twi'leks, and a few selective human females.]

[Wait…when you say 'artistic pursuits', did you mean it as in 'plural'?!]

[Well, you'll just have to find out. Here we are.]

[Ready and waiting.]

[And he speaks again.]

[Shut it! On three…one…two…]

[THREE!] The door hissed open as the four Shard leaped into the living room of the commander's quarters, lightsabers at the ready.

As for the commander himself, he was lying in the other room with two of his officers, who screamed and ran around the Shard Jedi and locked themselves in the bathroom, leaving the commander to face the four Shard. He fumbled for his pistol lying in his uniform.

"Wha-….who? What is your designation, droi-ACK!" Rubat grabbed him by the neck and walked over to the window. He smashed it with a single thrust of his fist and thrust the commander out into the rain.

[Access code for the communications array. Now.]

[Really cuts to the point, doesn't he?] Phond sighed [Loved to see how he works with the ladies, you know, if they go for the whole 'metal body' sort of thing.]

The commander was dangling out in the wild weather and the only thing between him and a long fatal fall was a droid hand grasping his ankle.

"AlrightAlrightAlright! Theta Arca J-354 Oni D-Gamma-Beta 9!"

[Thanks.] With that, Rubat let go of the commander's ankle. The commander fell, screaming bloody murder. Opila ran to the window in shock, just in time to see the commander hit a septic pool a few stories below. He swam to the surface, gasping and coughing violently.

[I didn't know there was a pool.] Opila said.

[Neither did he, apparently.]

[How long until we can reach a comm terminal?]

[Well, his is fried.] Phond said, indicating the blasted terminal they had destroyed on their way in. [There should be one at the next control room, and if we hurry-] They turned around to see a squad of Sith troopers led by several armored Sith Lords.

[_That_ is going to throw a hydrospanner into our plans…]

* * *

Trelyn, a young human with blue spiked hair, was what some could call…eccentric. He woke up at five in the morning, would eat breakfast in the mess hall alone before everyone else woke up, do a hundred pull-ups in the Bull hangar, and would rather read holos about a Jedi Order betrayed by the Republic and hunted down by an army of clones rather than play a game of Ricochet.

Of course, none of this mattered when it came to his fighting skills. In the short amount of time he had known Sorran and Colin, he had grown quiet a rapport with them, particularly Colin. The lad lived his life trying to live up to his uncle's reputation.

Right now, as he stabbed his lightsaber through the guard's throat, Trelyn was thinking about Colin and Sorran. He and the others would save them, no matter what. His team had breached the first few cells, and were handing out lightsabers to recently-freed Jedi.

Rohlan dropped to the ground. Behind him, a few commandos and Jedi ducked behind the alcoves on either side of the security bulkheads as blasterfire whizzed by. Almost two hours. And no word from Opila. If they hadn't gotten the warning out, then they were all screwed.

The first few Hidden Beks were already out of their cells, taking down guards with their bare fists and a few torn out iron bars. But against the heavy rifles of the guards, many were being gunned down. Rohlan's mind drifted back to what would happen if Opila failed…

* * *

Please R & R!


	36. Chapter 36: Stage 2 always goes wrong

Hope you enjoy!

Please R & R!

* * *

The first thing that Staasi saw when the fleet reverted to realspace was the Sith advance force; fifteen Sith _Lancer_-class corvettes converging on their position. They were soon backed up by at least twenty destroyers and seven huge _Harrower_-class carriers. Dozens more ships were visible behind them, not to mention Dromund Kaas's orbital defense platforms and the giant hulk of Darth Acheron's flagship, the _Predator_.

Five Torrent vessels were the first to enter orbit, the _Avenger_ among them. Several others followed, creating a protective "shield" around the capital ships. Many of the other vessels were forced to drop out of hyperspace farther from the planet, to avoid accidentally hitting Sith vessels when they reverted to realspace.

Staasi gazed wide-eyed at the Sith armada. "All craft, open fire!" He barked.

The support vessels began firing streams of laserfire into the shields of the Sith vessels. Fighters shot out of their storage tubes and began deadly dances with their Sith counterparts. Two Sith missiles scored direct hits on the bridge of the _Avenger_. Another capital ship reverted to realspace too close to a Sith cruiser and both collided within minutes. Two bombers managed to slip baradium warheads through a weakened section of the _Avenger_'s shields.

The bridge of the _Avenger_ rocked as consoles exploded and fires erupted. Staasi felt something heavy smash into him and blacked out. Fire suppression crews ran to put out consoles and crew alike. Groaning, Staasi found himself on the floor, a nearby dangling support beam smeared with his blood. Several of his command staff were splattered all over the ceiling and walls.

"Launch landing craft!" Staasi roared, ignoring the red mess trickling down his forehead. Emergency bulkhead slammed down across the transparisteel windows, and tactical screens appeared on the bulkheads.

"Sir, at this distance we'll…"

"Prepare the Pods! Launch all Bull and Nexu carriers! Get those gunships through! Revan and the others won't stand a chance unless we get our troops on the ground!" Staasi barked. The bridge rocked again. "Fire the Shatterpoint weapons!"

"We haven't fully integrated all of them into our systems!" One of the ensigns, Staasi thought his name might be Mark, turned and faced Staasi. "This is crazy! We aren't prepared to fire the entire array yet!"

"_Then fire the ones that you have!_" Staasi unholstered his pistol and aimed it at the ensign's head. He switched off the safety. "I will_ personally _shootanyone who is even_ remotely _responsible for our men on the ground getting slaughtered because they didn't get support from up here!" Marks gulped and sat down in his chair before initiating the firing sequence.

Streaks of blue fire burst out of the _Avenger_'s bow and went through a Sith cruiser, creating blooms of flames as the warheads traveled through the vessel and detonated on the way out. Hull plating shuddered and disintegrated outward from the impact site as the weapons did the job of their namesake. Other heavier versions of the weapon appeared as thin blue fiery beams that traveled punctured through Sith vessels and exited the other side, a good portion of the vessel disintegrating a minute later, causing irreparable damage and destroying the vessel in most cases.

The _Goranda_ and _Onager_ began pushing the Sith cruisers back with their Shatterpoint weaponry as the Semakhi fleet arrived. Resembling graceful sea creatures, their ships and fighters began pounding the Sith fleet, targeting individual vessels rather than firing haphazardly.

"_Admiral, I assume that the insertion team was unable to take down the defense network?_" Le-bin asked.

"Sadly, no. However, Opila did manage to get a warning to us…while we were en route. We were able to redirect most of our ships to a secondary rendezvous zone just outside their Defense Network range. Opila says if we can land our troops then that'll distract the Sith long enough for Revan to take down the network…and to settle an 'old score'."

* * *

A wing of _Recluse_-class fighters began a strafing run on the bridge of the _Predator_. Onboard, Darth Harandos sat cross-legged on the bridge. "They have multiple Force-users countering my Battle Meditation." He growled.

"_I don't want excuses. Are you telling me that a few Padawans are overpowering you?_" The hologram of Darth Acheron asked.

"Nooo ma'am. Just be prepared for some ground fighting."

"_Excellent. It's time to test our latest achievements_." Several dark shadows sped past the bridge and blasted the Torrent fighters to shreds.

* * *

_Deep Water_ took heavy fire and broke in two…and shed the outer shell and became two smaller versions of the Semakhi frigate that it had been. Several Shard vessels, small, spiky and nimble, dove right through overlapping streams of turbolaser fire and dropped beneath a Sith dreadnaught, launching wave after wave of concussion missiles into the ventral hangar once the shields were dropped to allow fighters to exit. Their concentrated beam cannons cut swaths into the hulls of Sith vessels and took out entire fighter wings in one sweep.

Bursts of purple plasma shot out from the cannons on the planet surface, overloading the shields of a Torrent gunboat and ripping it to shreds. Torrent carriers of various classes shot through the Sith blockade, relying on their heavy shielding and armor to take the brunt of the fire from the ground turbolaser emplacements. Smaller shuttles and transports continued towards the surface. Escorted by fighters and bombers, they entered the atmosphere as high-speed red-hot bursts of flames, a fiery entrance fitting of what they were about to unleash. The heavy larger carriers stayed just outside the atmosphere.

Gunships, artillery landers, and drop pods shot out from these carriers, hurdling towards the ground. "Bravo Leader to Command, mission is a go!" barked a communications officer on one of them, the _Helljumper_.

Shock troopers and commandos strapped themselves into the combat drop pods lining the walls of the sub-hangar deck. "All pods locked and secure," The flight controller reported "Launch!" Permaglass sheaths slid down over each of the pods as one-by-one, they dropped out of sight, leaving only an empty space between the wall and the sheaths.

For a few seconds, the pods just floated. Then, one end on each grew white-hot as the entry thrusters kicked in, launching each pod into the atmosphere. Other larger cone-block-shaped missiles were launched. As they fell, smaller pods containing individual special ops soldiers were launched outwards, and the remaining fuselage contained heavy armaments to be picked up on the ground.

* * *

Inside one of the normal pods, a shock trooper tried not to throw up as his combat drop pod entered the lower atmosphere. His tinted visor lowered and the HUD activated. On the upper side of his HUD were small live feeds from the helmets of the other members of his squad. Two were just static, their pods destroyed by AA fire. The others showed men and women with facial expressions ranging from outright fear to anticipation.

His heartbeat increased as the amount of explosions in the sky increased the farther he descended. An Interceptor swooped just a few meters in front of him, before the wings were clipped by an Aurek Tactical StrikeFighter, sending the Interceptor plummeting into a Sith gunship. Both exploded.

"_Once you are on the ground, proceed directly to the rendezvous zone!_" The commander barked "_The Sith are unloading their troops and heavy artillery, and we-ARRGHHH_!" His image turned to static.

The trooper grabbed his crash netting as the pod's landing thrusters activated and he hit the muddy plain surrounding Kaas City. For a few agonizing moments, he watched as the ground in front of him exploded in a giant muddy mess.

"_Let's go, move it out!_" The pod hatch hissed open and the soldier ran forward, grenade launcher slung over his back and rifle in hand. Ahead, another shock trooper went flying as an artillery shell detonated under his feet. His blood splattered against the trooper's helmet. Panting, he ran forward, only stopping grabbing the fallen soldier's ammo bandoleer and grenade pouch.

The trooper made it to the ruins of the old construction equipment used to build Kaas City a thousand years ago. The permacrete walls provided some cover, but that was before the Sith troopers charged in.

Torrent gunships dropped Nexus and Bulls with cannon mounts fixed on their backs and heavy tanks with four large covered treads. Shock troopers ran to operate them, but suddenly came under fire from ground-to-ground flak cannons.

"Go, go, go!" Grenadiers hurled grenades at the enemy artillery positions and ducked behind cover as they exploded. The Sith responded with an overwhelming salvo of missiles that blasted through the majority of the Torrent forces already at the ruins. When the smoke cleared, many men lay on the ground, dead or dying in terrible agony.

The shock trooper gazed down at the body of one of his squad, helmet askew and blood seeping out of a huge hole in his chest. "Sith beasts charging on our western front!" A commander warned. Mutated beasts, rakghouls, and undead charged the soldiers. The first few Torrent shock troopers went flying and the rest dropped into hand-to-hand combat. Fists, wrist vibroblades, rifle butts; everything they had they used. None wanted to be taken, knowing what would happen to them. What was worse; the undead were their own friends and comrades, horribly twisted and tortured until they were just shells of their former selves, filled with hatred and anguish.

_**Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat**_. The shock trooper was on automatic, firing his rifle until it ran out of tibanna gas. Then he took his grenade launcher and tore limbs off the oncoming horde. But they still came, regardless of loss of limbs, those who had no legs just crawling. His grenade launcher went _ka-shunk_. Empty. The shock trooper began running away, firing over his shoulder with one of his two pistols, shots going wild but some hitting the beasts in the head or torso, the only sure way to take them down.

"What are you doing there, Davies!" A heavily-armored commander roared, taking out Sith troopers with the cannon mount of a downed Bull. The Bulls were the larger counterparts of the Nexus, meant to function as light artillery and troop transport at the same time, with space for two cannon mounts on top of the rig on top of the back flatbed. Troops would sit on the flatbed and ride into battle. The fact that Bulls and Nexus also utilized a leg system instead of treads meant that they could crush enemies and kick out at them. This particular Bull had lost three legs, and the last was being used by a couple of troopers as cover.

"Retreating, sir!" The shock trooper barked. It felt weird whenever someone called him by his name.

"Are you hit, soldier?"

"No sir!"

"Well then get back to the front lines!" The commander jumped off the cannon mount, ammo depleted, and ran to a tank stationed a few feet away, where other shock troopers were providing covering fire while more soldiers set up anti-infantry cannons. "When I was in the shock trooper brigade, we didn't have these fancy cannons or assault rifles! All we had in our unit were sticks; two sticks and a rock! _And we had to share that rock_! So consider yourself lucky, soldier!"

"Y-yes…sir!"

"Damn right! Now get back out there Davies…" The commander's voice trailed off. Davies turned around to see five growling Torrent corpses stumbling towards them, still wearing battered and cracked-open battle armor.

"Eat plasma!" The commander barked, bringing himself out of his shock and letting loose with his rifle. The tank also fired, tearing up the ground underneath the corpses, blowing them to shreds. After a while, the Sith beats stopped coming, leaving only a smoking patch of earth. The commander chuckled, and shouldered his rifle, before reaching for a cigar. Then the smoke cleared, and a legion of Sith Warriors and figures in red wielding lightsaber pikes marched towards them…

* * *

"Shitshitshitshit-…"

_**FWWWOOOMM!**_

"Change around the letters and you get Sith shit, or shit Sith. Either one means the same thing." Revan chuckled as the Sith commando fell to the ground, his arms going one way and the rest of him the other. Phiran, wielding his own green lightsaber and one taken from a fallen Sith, cut through two Sith Acolytes. Together, Revan and Phiran impaled the last remaining Sith warrior on their lightsabers.

Using the Force, Juhani was muffling the sounds of their fight so that those in the interrogation center wouldn't know how close the enemy was. Well, that was until Revan turned the ten-inch durasteel door into metal splinters with a light tap in the right place and sent the hundreds of razor-sharp shards hurdling into the room like metal daggers, ripping apart the several dozen troopers standing just on the other side.

Darth Feran turned around from his brutal interrogation of Se-ril just in time to see Revan's armored first flying at his face. Feran ducked aside and crossed blades with Revan.

Caras, a human women in her late forties with brown hair and a few grey streaks, brought her lightsaber pike against Revan's other blade. Revan kicked her back before beating Feran towards the window, managing to score a minor blow to his shoulder. Feran hissed and tried to retreat, but Revan gave no quarter.

Xalak, a mostly-machine cyborg (the only sign that he was part living were the few bits of brain cased inside his desk-lamp-shaped skull and the heart encased inside his chest) threw a table full of sharp instruments aside and activated his lightsaber. Juhani activated her own blue blade and body-slammed him against the tube holding Gadon Thek, cracking the glass casing just a bit.

"Uh…it might help if you release us?" Gadon suggested as Phiran Force-shoved Lethe back. The girl stumbled back and ran out of the room. Phiran let her; she wasn't their main objective. With a flick of his wrists, the locks on the restraints opened with a _click_, and the three prisoners leaped out of their interrogation cells.

"Revan!" Dustil called. Revan Force-pushed one of the salvaged lightsabers he had from his belt into Dustil's waiting hand. Feran snarled and attempted to strike Revan through the chest, but Revan forced him back and prepared a _sai tok_ on the Sith Apprentice.

"NO!" Dustil roared "He's mine!" Feran yelped as Dustil's captive lightsaber was yanked from his belt and activated in Dustil's other hand. Feran scrambled away, robes flapping, as he tried to outrun the furious Jedi Knight.

Dustil, with a lightsaber in either hand, ran after him, swinging each blade leisurely as he advanced on the Sith Apprentice. Revan made to help him, but Darth Caras resumed her attack on him, forcing him to focus on her.

While Revan dueled Caras, Juhani with Xalak, and Dustil with Feran, Phiran grabbed his comlink. "Matthews, prepare for extraction." He activated the transponder, sending their location to Matthews. Meanwhile, Se-ril and Gadon grabbed the rifles from the fallen guards and fired potshots at Xalak in conjunction with Juhani's fast strikes.

"Copy that, Phiran. Be warned; we're tracking thirty-seven bio-signs moving towards your position and around three times that many droids. Oh, and step away from the window." Phiran frowned and glanced at the window that hugged one wall….and saw what Matthews meant. Charging towards them was a Medsteed-class J-45 armored gunship, specifically designed for ramming through walls in a building to either insert or extract soldiers.

"…body slam…" Phiran mumbled stupidly before coming back to his senses and Force-jumping backwards as the gunship crashed through the window.

The forward hatch opened and Torrent marines began spraying fire into the room. Se-ril and Gadon leaped through the hatch, followed a few minutes later by Juhani, who slammed Xalak against the ceiling before diving through. The cyborg screeched, a disturbing high-pitched mechanical sound. He was taken down a few seconds later by a barrage of blasterfire and two missile launchers. The organic sac that held his organs burst open and rained various guts down on the floor.

"Dustil! Come on!" Revan roared. Caras glanced sideways for a moment at Dustil and Revan used the distraction to bisect her. Dustil was in a battle fury, focused only on killing Feran.

"You can kill him in various nasty ways later! We have a schedule to keep!" Revan snapped "Now get on or I will personally grab you and drag you on, myself!" Dustil backed away hesitantly and ran towards the gunship.

"I will kill him." Dustil swore as he climbed through the hatch into the hold.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah; there's always next time." Phiran grumbled as the gunship detached from the prison and took off.

* * *

"We've extracted the Hidden Beks and the Jedi, as well as the teams sent to liberate them!" The pilot called back over the roar of battle. "Admiralty Board for you, sirs!"

A hologram of the various Admirals, High Councilors, and Administrators appeared.

"How's the battle going?!" Revan asked as the side doors of the hold opened. They were headed for one of the forward camps.

"_Not good! We've suffered heavy losses and it looks like the Sith got themselves some new toys! Our ground troops are being torn to shreds, and reinforcements are at least an hour away. The fleet can't hold out against the Sith_." Staasi reported.

[_The Shard Jedi that we sent to infiltrate Kaas City are converging on the ground battle, but it will be some time before they can get there_.] Upari warned [_Opila and his team are currently disabling the Defense Network as we speak, but with the additional firewalls raised due to the attack, it'll take them hours to disable each individual system at a time_.]

"We have our rescued compatriots." Le-bin noted "Perhaps it would be wise to retreat."

"NO!" Phiran roared "Tell the fleet to concentrate their attack on the _Predator_!"

"_No good_!" Staasi argued "_The capital ships can't get into position to bombard it. The Predator's main cannon can obliterate any ship that gets too close, and we can't destroy it if our ships can't get close enough to destroy it without getting blown out of the sky_!"

"If we can get access to a boarding pod, Phiran and I might be able to take out that cannon from the inside, and maybe destroy the ship." Revan suggested.

"Launch a boarding pod containing a couple baradium warheads along with us, and we can set them up at the reactor core and set them to blow once we get off the ship!" Phiran suggested.

"_It's a suicidal plan, but it may be our only hope_." Staasi said "_I'll have the _Avenger_ prepare a couple of boarding pods._"

* * *

"Here's one for the good guys!" Rohlan cheered. The Mandalorian/Jedi of Colin Cel-Drem roared in affirmation and swarmed out of the Mandalorian cruiser on Basilisks. Sith pilots found themselves plucked out of their cockpits and flung into their own carriers by giant metal arms and gunships were rammed by the _beskar_ steeds which emerged with only a scratch to the paint.

"Colin, strafing run on that cruiser, stat!"

"Got it!" Jedi starfighters made tight corkscrews, diving between streams of cannon fire, letting it destroy Sith fighters that were tailing them. Rohlan's HUD map was of little use here: There was so much interference from the constant energy discharges and the way he kept on diving and spinning, all it showed was ERROR-ERROR. He ended up having to shut it off.

Several dark shadows sped past Rohlan. They opened fire and took out several Torrent fighters. "We got new bodies on the field." Rohlan warned his troops "Possibly part of Acheron's new attack force!" Suddenly, one of his fellow warriors dived behind Rohlan's war steed. A few moments later, the female Mandalorian was blown apart. Shocked, Rohlan realized that she had sacrificed herself for him. But the fighter that had killed her was still gunning for Rohlan. He urged his Basilisk forward as the new fighter unleashed a rack of missiles at him. Rohlan went into a corkscrew, causing most of the missiles to destroy one another as they tracked him, but several stayed on course.

Two missiles detonated close to Rohlan's Basilisk. The semi-sentient robotic war steed groaned as one of its rear legs was shorn off. Rohlan cursed and launched a missile at the turret that had done the amputation, but he was still mad. Roaring, he rammed his Basilisk into a Sith fighter. The pilot inside whimpered as a giant metal first smashed open his cockpit and flung him out into space.

"Boss, we can't outmaneuver those new ISF Interceptors!" Jax, a Field Marshal warned before his Basilisk was engulfed in a deadly stream of red disruptor bolts.

"All fighters be warned, these new guys are carrying lightsabers and are wearing space combat armor! They're-" Another Mandalorian went silent as he was beheaded.

Rohlan cursed. The new fighters that the Sith dumped at them were piloted by Force-sensitive Imperial pilots, some of whom were Sith cross-trained in fighter combat. Their faster, more maneuverable fighters were boxing in the slower Basilisks. What they didn't have for armor and shields, they made up with speed and laser cannons.

"Jump troopers, go! Take, take, take!" Their last resort, because the casualties would be so great, the jump troopers leaped out of airlocks and launch bays, propelled by thruster packs and carrying W-SPAK repeating blaster cannon rigs strapped to their chests. They opened fire, and the constant streams of plasma ripped apart enemy fighters.

Jedi flew amongst the troopers, their lightsabers useless against turbolaser fire. The jump troopers found themselves dying by the hundreds from stray or intentional cruiser fire and from collisions with fighters, enemy and friendly.

"_Overseer to Bucket-Head, Overseer to Bucket-Head. Anti-fighter units on PRI-OBJ Target Delta-1138 have been disabled. Shields fluctuating. Initiate Breaking-and-Entering Attack Pattern. Prodigal and Geezer will be inserting, I repeat; Prodigal and Geezer will be inserting_."

"Roger that!" Rohlan chuckled. "All units, this is Rohlan Dyre! The _Predator_'s way of fighting us insects is currently offline! Swarm it!" He winced as his helmet absorbed the feedback from the cheering. The remaining Basilisks, jump troopers, and Jedi spiraled toward the _Predator_. The flagship of Darth Acheron was currently pummeling the _Avenger_ and _Veritas_ with its turbolasers. _Veritas_ took two direct hits to its port engine and explosions ripped through that half of the ship, yet it kept on fighting.

* * *

Onboard the _Avenger_, the situation was tense. Five ships had lost life support and were evacuating. Eleven were destroyed. Another was torn in half, yet the crew that was still alive kept on manning the turrets. The _Renegade_ and other light small vessels were faring better, their maneuverability sparing them from heavy bombardment. Currently, the _Avenger_ was preparing to launch two insane Jedi on a nearly-impossible suicide mission where the odds of surviving, let alone success, were less than 15.4%, according to T3-M4. The vessel itself was suffering major damage from the _Predator_, and most of the other capital ships were being crushed as well.

The ground battle wasn't faring much better. The additional reinforcements of Jedi and Mandalorian warriors helped the soldiers fortify a position amongst the old construction equipment. But the Sith had unleashed their new toys: Sith guardsmen, Imperial commandos, and Sith Juggernauts bashed through tanks like foil every time the Torrent made an offensive.

"I'm getting too old for this." Phiran grumbled as he strapped himself into the ramming pod. An enhanced version of a boarding claw, it was basically a large box with a diagonally-sloped side on one end. On that side was a large square-shaped magnet that extended a few feet on any side of the box, giving it the appearance of a "You are here" map kiosk. Once the pod crashed into the hull, crawler/digger legs would extend and create a tunnel into the side wall of a corridor. Micro-cutters would slice a hole into the wall and the pod's occupants could jump into the corridor.

Personnel sealed the door to the secondary compartment of the ramming pod. Revan and Phiran were strapped in their seats in the primary compartment, which also served as a cockpit for situations where the pod could be jettisoned from the hull and maneuvering thrusters could provide just enough of a push to launch it towards an allied ship. Then the large bulkhead doors separating the preparation room from the launching bay slammed shut.

"Launching Boxer One in three…two…one…launch!" There was a loud _whump_ on the other side of the bulkhead. Boxer One shot out of the _Avenger_ with speeds that would tear a fighter apart.

"Launching Boxer Two in three…two…one-…."

"We have an unidentified mass approaching the launching bay at high speed!"

"Sith fighter. Looks damaged and out of-_**TAKE COVER**_!" The launch crew stumbled out of their seats. Only two made it through the emergency bulkheads before the fighter crashed into the bay…straight into Boxer Two and the baradium warheads strapped securely inside.

Even from the distance they had traveled, Revan and Phiran felt the shockwaves from the blast as their pod rocked and bounced, shrapnel pounding dents into their six-layer hull. "_Boxer One, this is Staasi. Abort mission; we lost the warheads_."

"Load up a couple more!" Phiran snapped.

"_A Sith fighter careened into the launching bay. The launch slings are fried and the bulkhead to the pod storage bay were fused by the explosion…but none of that matters since the blast took out the launch control room. There's no more pods at the other bays for ramming tips to be attached to, and by the time we manually remove a pod from the storage bay of the launching bay you exited and insert it into another bay, it'll be a good three hours_."

"Then we switch to Plan B." Revan chuckled.

"_What's Plan B?_"

"Improvisation!"

"…Staasi, tell my wife and children that I love them. And specifically for my wife; tell her she married a madman because he decided to trust the idea of 'making it up as we go along' from another madman."

"_Will do, sir. Good luck; Staasi out_."

* * *

Next chapter coming soon!


	37. Chapter 37: Breaking and Entering

Please Read and Review!

* * *

Dustil cleaved through the rifle of a Sith elite trooper before Force-shoving him through the window. Behind him, Se-ril and Sorran dueled with several Sith Marauders, the latest surprise that the Sith had unleashed upon them. Several Sith apprentices entered the fray, having slaughtered their Torrent Jedi backup.

Up ahead, Feran slammed a Torrent commando against the wall before diving through a blast door and sealing it. Defense turrets lowered from the ceiling and swiveled on their mounts before aiming at Dustil.

"Run all you want, Feran!" Dustil roared, rotating two turrets with the Force and activating their firing mechanism, destroying the other turrets before finally destroying each other "I'll find you!"

Feran yelped as he heard the distant crunch of Dustil hurling a ball of telekinetic energy through the first blast door…then the second. Feran whimpered, frozen with fear as he realized that Dustil was channeling all his anger and rage after weeks of torture and the revelation of what happened to his beloved into his assault on Feran…and the ball of Force energy that was-_**oh shit**_.

He had barely made it to the stairs before the crackling ball of energy shot through with lightning hit him square in the back. Feran went flying towards the top of the stairs, and rolled down to the ground.

Dustil came charging in, wielding in his right hand two Sith lightsabers wielded together so that it was like he was holding a lightsaber with two blades out of one end. In his other hand was the blue lightsaber he had created on Ilum. And floating around him was the viridian secondary blade he had constructed after the Battle of Manaan.

"Have at thee!" Dustil chuckled. Feran blasted the viridian blade with Force lightning, knocking it against the wall. He Force-pulled it into his off hand, evening the fight. Dustil responded by ramming Feran in the stomach with his head, and retaking the viridian blade and clipping it back onto his belt before tackling Feran and engaging in a mobile fist-fight with him. The young Jedi got in a kick at Feran's face while Feran managed to grab Dustil in a headlock and both went tumbling forward. Se-ril stared after the crazed Jedi until he was grabbed behind by a Sith trooper.

"He's gone mad." Sorran grumbled, snapping the neck of the Sith Lady she was strangling. The woman's arms went limp, and Sorran tossed the body into another Sith before running him through while he tried to get his dead colleague's body off of him.

"YOU JUST NOTICED THAT?!" Se-ril roared as he grappled with his trooper. Sorran sighed and sank her fangs into the neck armor of the trooper, the _crunch_ as her fangs broke through the armor audible above the fighting. She kept him firmly locked in her bite…until she flung him into the wall. With a sickening _crack_, he slumped to the floor. Sorran grinned a big bloody smile, flashing canines covered in blood and gore.

"That can't be sanitary." Se-ril shuddered as Sorran wiped her teeth and licked her chops.

"Yeah, coming from the amphibian that swims in his own excrements."

"Any aquatic species will eventually swim in at least a fraction of its own excrements." Se-ril argued "And the term is reptilian. Not 'amphibian'. And last I checked, we don't sink our gums into who-knows-where-it's-been blood."

"They're called canines. And-…" She was cut off when Se-ril's radio activated and the voice of a Torrent commando was heard.

"_Hey fish-lizard! Fire in the hole!_"

Se-ril frowned for a moment, scaly "eyebrows" arching, glancing around the room. It wasn't long before he realized they meant _literally_. Se-ril grabbed Sorran and pulled her over a desk, which turned on its side from their combined weight. A few seconds later, the grates on the floor, walls, and ceiling erupted in flames and smoke. Someone on the floor below had tossed a couple dozen grenades into the ventilation system, probably to flush out any Sith assassins using them as ambush points.

"If you wanted fried fish and singed fur, all you had to do was ask." Sorran growled as she put out a small fire on the fur of her left forearm.

"_We did say to stay away from all exterior hallways and rooms. Heads up, you've got Sith coming up the stairwell to your right. And…_what the hell_?! Shoot it, shoot it! Command, we need-AAARRGGHHH!_" The feed turned to static.

Se-ril glanced at Sorran. Then the floor shook. "What the hell?" Se-ril repeated.

Sorran turned around slowly, activating her double-bladed lightsaber. Then the wall blew inward and Sorran found herself staring into a circular blood-red robotic eye the size of a doorway. It twisted and focused in on her. Tendrils of energy began to arc from the eye.

Sorran turned her head towards Se-ril, who was still lying in the shadows. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Se-ril's gills flapped nervously. Then Sorran was engulfed in a red beam of energy that launched her through the wall and several walls after that until she hit a support pylon and her flight was stopped as she slid to the floor. Steam rose from her armor, which was now blackish-grey, where it had been a grey-white earlier. The smell of burnt fur and flesh reached Se-ril's nose. Sorran groaned, raised her head, and then slumped back to the ground.

"NOOOOOO!" Se-ril activated his lightsaber and charged into the light of the hole…and jumped sideways when another blast of energy shot through the hole in the wall. He couldn't escape the blast completely. His full-body armor took the brunt, but was so badly seared and melted that it was a black unrecognizable mess. It wouldn't withstand another hit. In fact, the armor was so melted that it was starting to drip off of Se-ril's body.

Tearing the plastoid muck off of him, Se-ril rushed the Devastator droid as it charged up its ocular-cannon and jumped on its back. The droid arched back, its ocular-cannon firing a wide arc that sliced a deep furrow into the next twenty floors above them. The arms on either side of the sphere that was the torso reached up to grab him, cannon mounts on the wrists at the end trying to hit him. Se-ril dodged them with Semakhi speed, his eyes on the four clawed legs anchoring the Devastator to the side of the building.

The droid seemed to have read his mind, and plucked the Semakhi off of its back before flinging Se-ril back into the building. Se-ril barely had enough time to dodge as cannon fire tore up the floor where he had just been. Groaning, he leaped back up and hurled his lightsaber at the droid. It screeched as the blade punctured its oculus beam, and began waving its arms erratically to remove the foreign object. One of those swings accidently hit Se-ril, who went flying back into a wall. Ignoring the new bruises on his body, Se-ril stood up and dropped into a fighting stance.

Sorran limped over to him, her pain radiating in the Force like an open sore. "I'm fine." The Bothan grunted, wiping away tears and ash from her face. She winced and coughed up blood while Se-ril examined a wound on her side. Nothing major had been hit, but her skin was charred and the wounds were deep. "Really, I'm fi-…" _**Sssii-Chunk!**_

His scream caught in his throat. Se-ril glanced at Sorran, who stared down at the clawed metal finger that had skewered her chest. She glanced back at Se-ril, tried to say something, and collapsed onto the finger. Her body was tossed into the corner.

Now Se-ril's voice came back. Screaming nonstop, he called on the power of the dark side and unleashed crackling tendrils of energy; not Force lightning, but pure darkness born out of anger. They wrapped around the droid and wrenched it from its grip on the building. The Devastator droid dropped out of sight with a horrified whine, leaving Se-ril panting as the darkness drained out of him.

"…Se-ril to Command, we've got Devastator War Droids fresh off the assembly line, here! Sorran Markez Bwua'tu is down!" Se-ril said frantically into his comlink "I repeat; we've got Devastator…" His words trailed off as _somehow_ the Devastator droid's arm appeared over the rim of the hole and hauled up the rest of it. Heart pounding, Se-ril and the droid stared at each other for a moment, the droid's ocular-cannon charging and then Se-ril was engulfed in a pylon of red-hot energy that put an end to his disbelief forever.

* * *

**_Avenger_**

**Orbit of Dromund Kaas**

Devastator droids…they had only begun production within the last month. Staasi couldn't face Le-bin, whose once smooth-streamlined face was wrinkled and wet. They had all been there when Se-ril's signal had gone dark, all been there when the techs brought up the footage from Se-ril's headset, and the last few images of the Devastator droid's oculus beam charging up.

"Jedis Sorran Markez Bwua'tu and Achten Se-ril Mak lost at 1500 hours to an ambush by a Devastator war droid." Mer-sil, the Fleet Admiral for the Semakhi Fleet murmured softly "Deaths part of…"

"Stop…" All eyes turned to Staasi "…can we please save this for until after the battle?" Mer-sil nodded and closed his recorder. A sudden explosion gave them an excuse to return to duty.

"Long-range batteries three and seven are offline!" A'ashk grunted as the others shuffled onto the bridge "Shields at 37% and holding!" An Interceptor dashed across the viewport, followed closely by a pair of Jedi strikefighters.

"Port and dorsal shields have failed in sections D-4 through D-7 and E-6!"

"Sith are launching boarding pods! Trooper and droid type!"

Staasi didn't even bother giving the order to fire. His crew was so busy fighting other threats that firing on the pods would be a waste of ammo, not to mention that the pods were too close for the turbolasers to fire on them without risking damage to the hull.

"We've got Behemoths boarding on Decks 5, 6, 12!"

"Sith forces have breached Gunnery Station 8!"

* * *

**Boarding Bod**

**En route to _Predator_**

"Contact in three…two…one…" An explosion rocked the hull, but Revan didn't feel the _thud_ of contact with durasteel.

"Uh…Phiran?"

"Odd…my chronometer must be off-…" _**THUD-CRUNCH!**_

Revan bounced against his crash-netting, hitting his head on the console right in front of his face. There wasn't exactly much room to spare in these pods. There was just enough space in the middle to allow both to squeeze through to their seats, but they couldn't get up or use the bathroom, but then again, what were the odds that one would need to 'go' in a pod meant to travel less than five miles?

Phiran unstrapped himself once the sounds of the pod burrowing into the hull stopped, indicating that they had hit a corridor. Not bothering to look outside, he charged through the hatch, _lightsaber_ at the ready.

_**WHUMP**_. Revan sighed and glanced down from the ceiling at Phiran, who raised an arm to give him a thumbs up before it flopped back down. "Next time, check to see how high up the wall we enter the corridor, okay?" Revan suggested helpfully. Phiran just groaned.

Revan dropped down beside Phiran and handed him his combat-seal helmet before putting on his. Tactical data appeared across the interior of the helmet and began running a diagnostic on his suit systems.

[Revan, I'm patching into your HUD.] Opila and his band of Shard had taken over a Sith broadcasting station, using the tight-beam communications array to stream data to the Torrent fleet. His gauntlet flickered and a 3-D map of their current area shot out and hovered in front of them. [I can't get the exact layout, but this is a rough sketch of your section.] The map zoomed out to show the _Predator_ as a whole, with each individual ship that made it up highlighted a different color.

[You're in what used to be the _Hope_.] Opila commentated as they walked through the corridors, the map floating beside them.

"I can see that." Revan muttered, noticing the faded mark of the Galactic Republic on one of the panels. The corridor was hauntingly familiar with one of the wrecks he had salvaged on Rakata Prime to repair the _Ebon Hawk_. He recognized the overall design of the hallways, the streamlined textures, the orange-grey color pattern.

[The main cannon is located just behind the bow of the ship, right here.] The map focused on a section of hull where the engines of the _Hope_ used to be. [It runs from the stern of the _Hope_ to where the main generator of the _Blood Mauler_ used to be.]

"These look like Stygium crystal mounts…" Phiran stopped talking when they heard the sound of boots on durasteel. Thinking quickly, the pair ducked into a conference room.

"That's part of the ship's cloaking tech." Revan muttered "But this…" He indicated the smaller of two large cylinder-like structures near the back of the cannon "…has to be a reactor. There's two, so my bet is that the smaller one powers the cannon while the other powers the ship."

"Must be, what, 50 or so capacitor banks powering those things?" Phiran calculated.

[And for each capacitor bank, thirty power cells.] Opila said [Hold on…I'm uploading the map to you-the Sith just broke past the baradium mines we set up in the lobby. I have to cut the link…uh…bye?] With that, Revan's HUD received a whole new flush of data and the audio link was severed.

"Right here…" Phiran said, pointing to the starboard section of hull beside the secondary core "A missile launching bay. If we can access one of those warheads…" He didn't need to finish. The baradium core of one of the Sith warheads combined with some of the power cells from the capacitor banks would provide enough of an explosion which, in theory, if in the right spot, could detonate the Main Reactor. At least, they thought it could.

"We'll split up." Revan decided "I'll get to the reactor and the capacitors…"

"…and I'll get the baradium core." Phiran agreed "Stay in touch via comlink, but only for emergencies. No telling me what some young Sith woman's doing in the shower or what not."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Revan chuckled. His smile faded and he pressed something into Phiran's hand. "He would have wanted you to have it." Revan murmured before leaping into a service duct, leaving Phiran staring at the design of a grass trinket tied around a cracked lightsaber hilt, the sea-smell of Lehon long faded yet a hint still clung to the blades of green.

* * *

**_Predator_**

**Main Hangar Bay**

Colin Cel-Drem screamed out in the Force as he felt Sorran's presence explode in Force in a fiery explosion of pain and sorrow. The Mandalorian/Jedi/Torrent forces had boarded one of the vast hangar bays lining the side of the _Predator_, and were now seeping slowly into the vessel, determined to give Revan and Phiran as much time as needed to destroy it no matter the cost.

Colin crouched on the floor, numb with shock and anguish. It was so _cruel_. Sorran had just been rescued from a Sith prison only to die hours later. Also, he had felt the echo of Se-ril's death bounce off Sorran's Force aura. She must have been mortally wounded and watched him die. She was still alive, but dying; there was almost no way she would survive a med-evac back to one of the Torrent vessels, and even if she could, who would be able to secure her in a city full of Sith? Anger and hate overtook him and he mentally crushed the Sith trooper he had held in his grasp.

Two Sith, one wielding a double-bladed lightsaber and the other a single-bladed one, both unlit, advanced on him. Behind him, Rohlan Dyre heaved a grenade at a turret emplacement high up the wall, diving forward as shrapnel and burning debris rained down on him. Rohlan noticed Colin's opponents, but two more turrets harassing a few Mandalorians caught his attention.

Wordlessly, all three combatants activated their blades. Colin twirled his, saluting the one with the single-bladed one first, for he appeared to be the elder of the two, and the younger one second. The Sith Master brought his own blade to his face before sweeping it back down, a sincere salute. Even Sith knew when respect was the honorable thing to do, especially if you were a Jedi Knight who was about to take on two opponents with lightsaber skills far beyond yours.

"Die well." The Master acknowledged. He couldn't help but admire the Jedi's courage.

"I'll do that…just not for your apprentice's amusement." Colin noted. The Master chuckled behind his black mask and stepped back, letting the Apprentice charge Colin. Their blades met in a brilliant clash of colors, purple against yellow, dark against light, Sith against Jedi…_uh_…Sith against _Mandalorian_?

Colin slid his blade through the shaft of the Apprentice's lightsaber, before cutting through the emitter nozzle of one half, not making the mistake of thousands of other Jedi in severing a saberstaff but failing to destroy one of the blades.

"I've spent my entire life training." The Apprentice chuckled "I've killed dozens of Jedi."

"_Ah…does wittle baby want a tweat for his good deed?_" Colin sneered. The Apprentice roared and kicked Colin in the chest. Colin staggered back, gasping. The Apprentice had unknowingly hit him where he had been struck by shrapnel during the failed mission to the Dorin enclave. While the wound was healed, the scar still hurt whenever he accidently hit it, and right now he was seeing black spots popping all over his vision.

The Apprentice gave Colin no pity, and stabbed forward. Colin swerved to the side, a gasp of pain emanating from his throat as the Apprentice's lightsaber sliced through his ribs, but at least it didn't go through his lungs as the Apprentice intended. Ignoring the pain, Colin slid his Mandalorian _beskad_ from its scabbard and shoved it through the Apprentice's back, slowly slicing upward. There was the sound of sinew and muscle severing, bone breaking, and then Colin slid his blade out through the Apprentice's neck and the Apprentice fell gurgling on the floor; amazingly, he was still alive. He tried to reach his lightsaber, crawling away from Colin.

"I've spent the last seven years training, four of them at a facility run by aquatic creatures. One at the Jedi Temple. Two by Mandalorians…" With that, he brought his blade down into the Apprentice's skull. "…and I've just killed you."

The Master registered a second of shock and dismay at the sudden demise of his apprentice, before enveloping Colin in lightning and dashing him against the wall, again and again. Up and down, up and down. Colin's face was a bloody mess, his arms flopping at his sides. He was going to lose consciousness if this kept up…

"_I'm going to roast your _**shebs**_!_" The Master turned his head and got a mouthful of _beska'gam_ gauntlet as a reward. Rohlan brought his aching fist back and threw another punch. This one proved too much for the helmet and there was an audible _crack_ as the Master reached up to feel his shattered nose. His helmet flew off, revealing the blood-red face of a Pureblood Sith. His chin jutted out and he had arched eyebrows that were almost animal. Colin, free from his grasp, tumbled to the floor.

Rohlan ejected his wrist vibroblade and sliced clean through one of the Master's chin horns, followed by a slash that took out any use of his left eye. The Master ignored the pain and Force-grabbed the _beskad_ lying on the floor next to Colin, hurling it towards Rohlan's back…eye widening in shock when all it did was skim off a few millimeters of armor.

"Surprise…" Rohlan chuckled "Thought you Sith should have figured out the properties of Mandalorian iron when you allied yourselves with us. Guess even a thousand years can't change a Sith. Oh wait, but this can…" Without warning, Rohlan sliced diagonally through the Master's face, cutting down to the skin. While the Pureblood Sith cried out in pain, Rohlan swung his wrist vibroblade in an underarm swing that penetrated the Master's left atrium and popped through his back. The Master gave a gurgling sound before falling to the ground. Rohlan ran over to Colin.

"Hey mate, you alright?" Rohlan asked as he cradled Colin's head in his lap. The Jedi chuckled as blood trickled down his mouth.

"_Don't…lie; I'll know. H-how bad…is it?_" Rohlan glanced down. Colin's burnt ribs were visible through opaque skin and the wound inflicted by the Apprentice. His left wrist was a rainbow of colors, and hung at an awkward angle. Blood caked his entire uniform, from various scrapes and electrical burns from the Force lightning.

"I've seen worse…" Rohlan said finally "Now c'mon, let's get you out of here…" He held out his hand for Colin to take, but the Jedi didn't move. Rohlan frowned and bent down again.

"_Rohlan…I can't…feel…my…legs…_" Rohlan's heart nearly stopped beating. Wordlessly, he gently tipped Colin on his side, stifling a gasp. Colin's wounds were severe, even by Mandalorian standards. Shards of metal had penetrated his lower back, severing the nerves in his spine. And if the legs couldn't move…

"What about your arms?" Colin tried. The left one moved a fraction before Colin winced due to the broken wrist, but the right forearm gave a small jerk and the fingers moved.

_"…Seem operational…"_

"Listen _Col'ika_, I'm not leaving you." Rohlan said defiantly. He picked up Colin and stumbled back into the hangar. By now, a majority of the fighting had gone further into the ship. Only five Jedi Knights and a few Mandalorian Field Marshals remained, trying to get a shuttle operational.

"Sir, I'll take him." Jedi Malon offered. Rohlan shook his head and ran up the boarding ramp, placing Colin on one of the bunks. He hooked up an IV line to Colin and placed his broken arm in a cast.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the hangar, sending everyone flying. The Sith were back.

* * *

**Dromund Kaas**

Opila let loose with his repeating rifle, taking out Sith with every accelerated bullet. The Shard team had been closing in on Se-ril and Sorran's position when the Devastator had killed the pair. Rubat and Adegan were currently tearing furiously through the droid, having Force-pulled it through the wall, causing the floor above to collapse. The debris destroyed the droid's motor functions and let the two Shard have their way with it, wreaking havoc with its systems and manipulating it into firing at Sith warriors trying to attack the Shard.

[The Sith have breached the lobby!] Phond warned. Opila's sensors blinked twice and he shot out his arm, the metal limb colliding with a trooper running around the corner in the neck. There was a crunch as the man's momentum carried him forward, and his neck bones broke against the quantum armor on Opila's arm.

[I think we got the memo!] Adegan said sarcastically. Rubat had plugged into an exposed port on the Devastator's shell, and he was silently giving the machine the digital equivalent of a drawing and quartering, not to mention being flayed alive, roasted on a spit, etc. Adegan opted for a more physical form of violence. After a period of ten minutes of torture, she thrust her lightsaber into the Devastator's power core and it gave a digitalized shriek before going silent. The red ocular beam went dark and its limbs crumbled to the floor.

[No…I mean they've breached the lobby.] Phond pointed one of the three fingers on his droid host's arm at the blurry image on the data console he had sliced. Like giant harbingers of death, Behemoths stomped through the lobby of the Kaas Defense System building. One walked over the body of a Torrent marine, and a few splats of blood hit the camera.

[How many floors up is the Control Room?]

[We're on Floor 23. The Control Room takes up the top seven levels, levels 87-94. Main power's been shut off, and the turbolifts aren't part of the services powered by the auxiliary generators. Plus, I'm reading heat signatures on almost every floor, both organic and synthetic…plus some that register as unknown.]

Opila looked at the other three. They had all heard the reports from the ground battle of reanimated Torrent prisoners and Sithspawn. [Phond…how long has it been since you used your magnetic treads?]

[You're joking.]

[No, he is not.]

[And he speaks again.]

[_Shut it!_ But are you mad? There's the rain to consider, then the dogfighters, the missiles, and the Devastators…]

[Would you rather be here when those Behemoths arrive? Or more Devastators?]

[…]

[Well?]

[Point taken.]

Opila extended a laser scalpel from his wrist appendage; originally used for ultra-precise combat surgery, it also functioned well in creating doorways when there were none, or in this case, cutting through a window. With a plop, the square of glass popped out and fell. A faint shattering marked its impact.

[Launch ascension cables!] Opila ordered. From the left wrist of the four droids came thin lines of dura-wire, specially made with phrik alloy by the Torrent. Using the magnetic treads on their feet and tiny spikes that ringed the treads, the four began hauling themselves up the side of the building.

"…_h-hope you're not leaving…wi-without…me_…" Opila stopped his ascent and returned to the window. He was shocked, and amazed, to see a black smoking mess of fur and blood crawling towards him. It became clear that it was a Bothan as he drew closer. The Bothan's identity was evident in the loud cursing aura she was giving off in the Force.

[Opila to Staasi! Jedi Sorran is still alive, I repeat, Sorran is still alive!] He ran over to Sorran. Her armor was cracked, and she was covered in blood, though it looked like it was just a lot of superficial wounds. Well, almost. The large concentrated bloodstain and punctured armor in the center of her chest suggested otherwise.

"_Ironic…something that dangerous skewers me…but misses every major organ_." Sorran chuckled dryly. She winced and indicated the wound. Force-healing had closed up the internal damage, but from the looks of it, Sorran hadn't done a proper job-there was evidence of blood poisoning and internal bleeding. It would take weeks in kolto to completely heal her up. That was, if she survived the next five seconds.

[Can you walk?] Opila asked. Sorran grunted and tried to stand up, but collapsed.

"No."

[Opila to FOB Command: I need an extraction team for Sorran stat!] Several marines from the lower levels had heard his distress call and after a few minutes, ran into the room.

"You go on ahead, sir." One of them said "We'll wait with Jedi Sorran." Opila nodded and joined the others in climbing the building.

The building wall slowly sloped, until it reached an overhand. Above were the high security floors and the Control Room. The building's defensive turbolasers were still active, but they could only lower so far as to target an object once it appeared over the slope. Even then, the constant shaking of the building from the fighting inside and numerous fighters impacting with it was wreaking havoc with their targeting sensors.

Opila tried not to panic as a turbolaser strike impacted a few meters to his left. Glass panels and their metal frames shattered, creating a deadly hail for those fighting underneath.

[Torrent command, we could use some air support!]

"_In case you haven't noticed, _everyone could use some air support_! The question is; why can't any of you realize that there's also a space battle going on and your 'air support' happens to be our fighters!_"

Adegan activated her blade as the windows directly underneath the overhang shattered, and several figures leaped out, screaming and bellowing before charging the four Shard. They were humanoid, as far as Opila could tell, but…different. They wore the tattered remains of prison suits and uniforms, and in some cases, armor. Torrent armor. The flesh was barely clinging to their skin, rotted and full of maggots. Opila fired a blast from his wrist blaster, hitting one in the chest. Still screaming, it slipped on the rainy glass and slid forward, _and then it got back up_.

Adegan fired a javelin dart-a spear attached to a line of steel-fiber cable-from her wrist launcher, impaling one in the chest before heaving the flailing body over her head and behind her, where it slid down the side of the building, gaping hole in its ribs, but definitely still alive. The same went for Rubat, who fired a shatter-round at the next two, sending bits of shrapnel flying everywhere and embedding in their bodies. Nothing could stop them. Finally, one got close enough for Opila to decapitate it. Only then did he see the wires and tubing jutting out of its spine, fluid still gushing out of it. The head continued its roll downward, but the body stood back up, and grabbed the javelin dart that Adegan shot at it, before tearing it from the wiring connected to her launcher, and advancing on Opila with it. Rubat fired another shatter-round, but the thing kept on advancing. As always, the reserved and stoic Shard summed up the situation with one word:

[Shit.]

Opila stabbed another corpse with his lightsaber, tossing it behind him. That one was still moving as it fell off the roof. The headless corpse hurled its javelin at him. The bladed end barely punctured his armored exoskeleton, and Opila ripped the javelin dart out and did a quick thermal scan of the corpse.

There were odd heat signatures in its body; not indications of life, but of rather something electronic venting heat. They were spread out, and Opila realized quickly what they meant.

[Rubat, blast this one!] Opila ordered. Rubat nodded and brought up the mini-concussion-missile launcher attached to his left shoulder while rotating his wrist launcher from shatter-rounds to explosive rounds. Opening fire with wrist launcher, concussion missiles, and rifle, Rubat began tearing the corpse apart.

As Opila suspected, as the flesh was blown off, the skeleton was revealed. Metal alloys had been welded to the bone, with small circuitry controlling the movement; the corpse was essentially a robot wearing a body. In addition, as Opila had also suspected, the whole corpse was a hive mind; each circuitry piece was a small AI that functioned as part of a whole. And as Rubat continued to blast the thing apart, with each piece disconnecting, the whole also began to fall apart.

[My friends, I suggest dismemberment as a viable means of success!] Rubat said, slicing the arms and legs off of one before ripping the head apart with his metal hands. Indeed, the body stopped moving and slid down the roof.

* * *

_**Predator**_

**Orbit of Dromund Kaas**

There would be occasional brief periods where there was no firing. And in those periods, Revan would think back to when this was all so simple. Fight enemies. Kill enemies. Get paid. Feel good about self. Now, he had to deal with the additional; Fight enemies. Spend hours on end justifying kills. Mope afterwards. Go into a vengeful rage and attack everyone you meet. Repeat until dead.

Of course, attacking everyone he met wasn't exactly the truth. More like everyone he met was attacking him. Splitting up hadn't been such a good idea, so the two had rendezvoused in an abandoned atrium. At least, it was abandoned before the hundreds of battle droids and Sith troopers stormed the room. Revan and Phiran cut through droid after droid, trooper after trooper, and Sith after Sith. Currently, it was Revan who was keeping a healthy distance from a Behemoth war droid in the bowels of the ship, in a network of seven-story high tunnels that was used to transport starfighters, heavy machinery, and equipment throughout the ship. Phiran was busy slicing a doorway where the Behemoth wouldn't be able to follow.

"How am I supposed to kill this thing?" Revan yelled/asked as he Force-leaped away from a stream of fire. These Behemoths had been upgraded since Ziost. They had phrik armor and reinforced joints, not to mention twin rotating blaster cannons with grenade launchers in the center set on both their shoulders.

Phiran couldn't turn his head away, save for when he had to bat aside the few bolts that Revan missed. "Try lopping its head off!" He suggested. Revan didn't have much of a choice, and waited until the clanking giant turned the section of wall-which he had torn loose and was hiding behind-into molten slag before leaping onto its head, lightsaber at the ready.

The next thing Phiran heard was a faint fizzling, followed by the sound of sparks, and Revan cursing. "Cortosis neck joints!" Revan called to him. A few moments later, Revan's second lightsaber went out. "Make that cortosis-armored oculars as well!" Phiran moved his head to the side as another stream of bolts impacted on the transparisteel above the panel he was rewiring. As he was about to finish resetting another power node, the Force sent a warning to him and he leapt aside as flames engulfed the panel and melted the circuitry. He cursed.

Phiran unleashed a bolt of emerald lightning at the Behemoth, which only seemed to distract it, for it extended a large blade from its right arm and sliced through the ground where Phiran had been standing before.

Revan, both of his lightsabers out of commission for however long, was improvising. His collection of other lightsabers would fare no better against the armor, and they were all securely strapped to his belt, with no time to uncover and unhook them. He didn't know how big a percentage of cortosis was in that armor, but it couldn't be pure, because seeing how rare cortosis was, only pure refined cortosis could truly short out a lightsaber blade, rendering it useless for minutes, meaning that the cortosis was in veins, rather than melted in with whatever else made up the armor, probably phrik or another lightsaber-resistant material. And whatever it was, it was making his lightsabers spark continuously, not to mention fizzle when he had tried to push the activation button. They sometimes lit up, but powered off not seconds after doing so. He would occasionally tear metal panels off of the wall, charge them with Force lightning, and fling them at the brute, or repel its bursts of flames back at it. However, the heavy phrik/cortosis coating took the brunt of the blast.

Looking up, Revan saw a cargo tram, fifteen cars long, traveling down the hallway. Its cars were suspended from a track in the ceiling, and were just skeletal rigs that held supplies or crew modules. Suddenly, without warning, the bottom rig of one of the cars opened and several large packages bundles hit the ground next to them. Before Revan could turn his head to ascertain their threat level, the packages were ripped apart and five more Behemoths lumbered towards them. Unlike the first one, their legs opened up and four heavily-armored combat droids marched out of each leg, totaling forty combat droids with wrist-mounted grenade launchers and repeating blasters, and reinforced joints and heavy phrik armor. The first Behemoth paused, glanced at them, and then unleashed its own complement of combat droids. Now, the space that they were on in the tram was empty…

"Trams!" Revan suggested. Phiran glanced up and nodded. _Heart of the Guardian_ was still non-functional, but _Mantel of the Force_ lit up like an oversized cyan glowrod. Batting aside bolts of blasterfire, Revan removed an ion grenade from his belt, checking to make sure that it was half-charge. Fully charged ion grenades thrown in close proximity could temporarily disable or even permanently damage _his_ electrical equipment.

The hallway began to curve as the duo retreated, the Behemoth steadily on their tail. They came to a junction. Here, the tram with the empty space began splitting on to one side, and the other tram went down the other hall. Heaving the charge over his back, Revan Force-leaped up towards the tram. Phiran followed shortly, overtaking Revan and grabbing onto a service gantry, hauling himself up. He kicked open one of the emergency ladders, a five meter-long series of rungs held by two rigid poles, and it slid down.

Just as Revan's fingered grasped the first rung, one of the droids, farthest away and therefore only partially immobilized and blinded by the ion pulse, fired blindly towards the faint sounds of grunting. The mini-rockets sliced through the rungs just above Revan, causing them to fall away. Thinking quickly, Revan propelled himself forward, fighting inertia and gravity and aimed his grappling line launcher at the rest of the rungs, but another rocket spiraled towards him. Phiran, seeing the danger, managed to make it detonate prematurely, but the shockwave was enough to knock Revan's aim off and he fired at a crew module _on the other tram_. Rappelling himself in, Revan grabbed onto the exterior catwalk. Just before he disappeared down the other tunnel, Phiran motioned to his ear and mouth, and then to something in his hand. His datapad. Revan understood and nodded in return. _Contact me and we'll set a rendezvous point_.

Revan senses several other presences within the module. Ignoring the wind whipping his hair into his face, Revan crawled on all four down the catwalk, trying not to look down. By now, the other Behemoths had recovered from the ion grenade, and split up to follow each. Four Behemoths, and twenty-four combat droids were advancing on Revan, the Behemoths kneeling down, weapons reconfiguring and repulsorlifts on their elbows and knees activated, combined with thrusters on their feet claw pads, turned them into mobile artillery platforms. And mobile in this case meant very fast. Three combat droids mounted each of the platform-mode Behemoths, and the other twelve shot grappling lines at the tram. Each had a Merr-Sonn X-43 jetpack fixed to the back of its chassis. The jetpacks, probably smuggled by Sith pirates from the Core, were one of the Revanchists' deadliest tools during the Mandalorian Wars. There were the main thrusters, of course, but also 360-degree maneuverability thrusters that allowed for almost perfect streamlined flight.

Moving in a V-shape, the combat droids flew up, hanging behind the tram but slowly reeling themselves in. The back car had cargo modules stacked in the upper two layers, but an unmarked personnel module took up the bottom layer. Six droids jumped onto the rear gantry and the other six split up, three to each side. By the looks of it, they didn't know where he was. Now that they were up close, Revan got a clear look at them and immediately wished he hadn't. They were Sith Jedi-hunting Advanced Combat Assassin Droids, or as they were more commonly called, Seekers. The wrist-mounted repeating blasters and grenade launchers could swivel around and eject twin vibroblade, and their clawed hands and feet were made of thermasteel, which even a lightsaber would have trouble cutting through. Their inverted armored legs allowed them to move twice as fast than the average humanoid, and remain steady in combat on moving surfaces.

Revan slowly stood up. The crew module beside him was full of engineers, technicians, and guards from what he had been able to see. He dared not use the Force, in case some had Force-detection training, or due to the fact that a lone Sith Apprentice stood against the window that Revan had peeked through. If he engaged the droids now, he would also have around two-score Sith personnel to fight.

Suddenly, a warning beacon began belting out an alert. [Warning: The area ahead has been exposed to vacuum. The atmospheric shields on this tram are experiencing some difficulties. All personnel without environmental suits are advised to enter the nearest crew module until this tram enters a pressurized zone. Entering depressurized zone in: 4 minutes.]

Revan glanced at the Sith Apprentice, and then down at the still-coming droids. Fitting his combat helmet to the joints on his neck armor, he sealed the suit and released the short vibroblade in his right gauntlet. They were now entering a darkened section of the ship, the absence of lights indicating that the area was on emergency power. As soon as the visibility indicator in his helmet reached 12%, Revan smashed the gauntlet through the window and grabbed the Sith Apprentice by the upper arms. Before anyone in the module could react, Revan hauled him through the broken window and heaved the flailing man over the catwalk. The droids, visibility decreased in night vision, immediately opened fired. Revan Force-leaped into the car directly behind it as rockets and blasterfire tore through the body of the man, running his lightsaber through the support struts securing the module. Stray rockets and bolts slammed into the car, hitting the crew module. The weakened support struts couldn't take the strain and the module dropped like a stone, crushing the lead Behemoth.

However, this alerted the droids to his location, and seconds later, three droids charged him from the left, blasterfire burning holes in the crates surrounding him. With a final sputter, his second lightsaber reactivated with a _snap-hiss_. A lucky shot grazed his shoulder armor, but the layered duraplast held. Revan swung out, removing the arm below the elbow joint while throwing his other blade at the head of another. Using his free hand, Revan unleashed a bout of Force lightning so powerful that when it hit the chassis, flames erupted out of the Seeker's punctured eyes and it toppled over the side of the tram. _Heart of the Guardian_ struck true, and the second Seeker was thrown back, impaled through its head, so hard that it smashed against a container on the next car.

The final Seeker held back, ejecting one blade while keeping Revan pinned down with grenade shots that Revan was forced to stand back and shield himself with the Force to stop them from destroying the ground underneath his feet. The minute that Revan heard the sound of an ammo clip being ejected, he charged forward, both blades becoming spirals of pure energy. A few moments later, the droid toppled to the ground in several different pieces. As a final bit of overkill, Revan shoved inward, causing the parts to crush together before scattering. Nodding his head, Revan made for the unidentified personnel module at the back of the tram. He was one car away from it when the Force sent him a warning. Suddenly, a bolt caught him in one of his helmet's air tubes. Throwing his head up, Revan saw the Seeker he had head-stabbed stand up. He flung his lightsaber and decapitated it completely. It didn't fall. A panel opened in its chest and a red photoreceptor slid into view.

_ That wasn't fair. That wasn't fair._

Droids that kept on fighting after you cut off their heads. _Mandalorian bounty hunters_ never did that. Why couldn't droids?

The Seeker extended an arm to its back. A long cylindrical pole slid out, with smooth round tips at each end. Without warning, small shock beams, about a half-foot long, erupted from each end and arcs of lighting crackled around the beams.

Revan held back, assessing his opponent. As long as the Seeker stayed on the other car, he was safe. However, safe was a broad term. The Seeker began spinning the staff in an easy two-handed twirl. Suddenly, the Seeker swung the staff forward, even though it was too far away to hit him. Strands of yellow lightning arced towards Revan, and he barely managed to catch the bolts of lightning on _Mantle of the Force_. Even so, several strands wrapped around his forearm and yanked him forward. Revan barely had time to cleave the strands with _Heart of the Guardian_ before he was yanked into the abyss separating the two cars.

The other three Seekers emerged from behind the same crate Revan had thrown his current opponent against. One leaped on top, letting loose with its repeating blasters, while the other two removed their arc staves, twirling them as they advanced. Revan held both blades at the ready, but he began moving further back into the car. A floor panel had slid shut where the crew personnel module he had thrown at the Behemoths had been, so that gave him some breathing space. Glancing at his wrist, Revan saw deep burns in the gauntlet, especially where the force of being yanked forward had been the greatest.

The other Seekers' arc staves were yellow in color, save for one, which barely registered in Revan's mind until that Seeker began hurling crackling spheres of blue lightning at Revan. The moment the first tendril hit Revan's blade, he felt the hairs all over his body stand on end. The momentum almost threw the blade into his face. And that was only the _first sphere_.

"Oh _kriff_…"

* * *

Phiran knew something was wrong when Revan didn't contact him within twenty minutes of being separated. Of course, that matter was cleared up when the Behemoths started firing at him. This tram was headed towards one of the forward launch hangars, which included a number of battery stations. Therefore, the majority of the cargo was weapons, ammunition, Sith troopers, Sith warriors, combat droids, and light artillery. In addition, there were several prison compartments full of recently-captured Torrent soldiers.

"This is Geezer broadcasting on all Aurek-7 channels. Are there any Torrent forces in the area near Hangar D?"

"…-_static_-…-_read you_…repeat; this is Commander Rohlan Dyre…hangar subsections D-6 and D-5…under-…"

"Rohlan, this is Phiran Bindo speaking. What's your status?"

"…we've overrun D-4 and D-8, but the Sith warriors split our line in two. We're pinned down on the launch decks and currently under cannon fire…taking casualties…"

"I'm coming towards you on a cargo tram full of ammunition and reinforcements for the Imperial forces stationed there. Maybe some reinforcements for us, if what I'm sensing is correct. Be prepared for when I arrive."

"…copy that, Phiran. How will we know?" Silence.

"Phiran? _Fierfek_!"

Colin chuckled and gasped. The shuttle was still operational, but barely. Both wings had been clipped, and they were using the quantum batteries to keep the shields operational. However, that meant no power for the weapons on the shuttle or the easily assembled anti-personnel cannons, whose battery packs were now long empty and relied on feeding off the batteries in the shuttle now. Also due to the fact that the shuttle was a safety hazard, as missed bolts bounced off the metal walls inside, they had decided to move Colin behind the barricade, where at least he wouldn't be in danger of being killed by a deflected shot of their own.

"Colin, don't move." One of the Mando medics stopped firing her repeating blaster for a moment to glance down at her patient. A lucky shot tore through the slit of her T-visor and the sound of it bouncing off the inside of her helmet made Rohlan's stomach turn. Colin moaned and grasped his side. The woman slumped down next to him. Rohlan cursed and bent down below the barricade to apply another stimshot to Colin. Another lucky shot tore through his hand. Cursing, Rohlan fired a flurry of shots into the observation booth, taking out the sniper responsible.

One of the Torrent field medics crawled over to the female Mandalorian. He placed his fingers to her neck and shook his head. Then he slumped over. It took a moment for Rohlan to see the blood trickle through his helmet and the three separate burn marks on the durasteel. Another soldier farther down the line screamed as a shot took him through his elbow, and when he flailed his arm, two more found his forearm. Two of his fellow comrades dragged him down before anyone else took a shot at him.

Rohlan's armor had taken quite a beating. Beyond the current Torrent barrier laid the remains of another line of barriers, within the targeting sights of most of the artillery pieces that had rolled in an hour ago. Easy enough to know why the Torrent fell back. His entire armor had darkened from maroon-gold to maroon-nearly-black and gold-now-dull-orange. His helmet was a lost cause, the _beskar_ actually splitting down the middle after taking a grenade that would have blown apart Rohlan. He was now using a normal trooper's helmet, which, while fully operational, didn't have the advanced HUD like his did or targetting rangefinder. Ah well, maybe it didn't make a difference. Mandalorian armor was tough, but at the rate he was going, he would be fighting in his now-punctured vac-suit and secondary krayt-hide armor. Standing up, he glanced around and took down two more Sith troopers while listening to Phiran's voice on the comlink.

"_…this…-ready…be ready…-full on assault…through the wall…_" Rohlan cursed Phiran and whoever was in charge of tech distribution for giving them such crappy comlinks. Then he saw the burned casing and realized it had taken a bullet. Great. Another shot flipped it out of his hand. He wisely ducked down.

"So…cold…" Colin mumbled. Rohlan gritted his teeth in frustration. He had already given Colin more than the maximum amount of antibiotics and stimshots permitted for an hour within the course of ten minutes. If Colin's body temperature was dropping, that meant even the tiniest injection could stop his heart or leave him brain dead. Even if he could, there was nothing Rohlan could do for the deep wounds and shattered bones, something that could only be cared for in a proper hospital. Luckily, the lightsaber stabs he had taken were cauterized by the heat of the blade, so there was no worry about them bleeding, but that was offset by the fact that one of them went straight though his shoulder.

"Keep on fighting…" Colin mumbled deliriously, speaking to Rohlan but as if he was fighting alongside of him. "…see you on the other side…" Rohlan chuckled nervously and patted his friend.

"Yeah…see you once this is all done." Colin mumbled and waved his hand erratically. A slab of durasteel was ripped out of the wall and crushed several Sith troopers in the front of their lines. _Okay_, maybe he was fighting with them. Or not, as Rohlan observed; that one gesture had used up a great deal of energy, and Colin was now fast asleep. At least he wasn't bothered by the dropping bodies everywhere.

"All units, this is Commander Dyre. Prepare for full-on assault. I mean full-on. Everything. Personal shields, deployable armor, grenades, stims, the special attachments for your weapons; _everything_." Turning off his helmet feed, Rohlan sat down against the barricade. Phiran was coming, though there was something that kept on bothering him.

"What did he mean '…through the wall…'? It's not like…" There was a rumbling, and Rohlan dove to the floor. With an ear-splitting screech, the far wall of the hangar blew out, sending wiring and wall plating flying. The thin panels were turned into razor-sharp projectiles, and several snipers were heard crying out or crashing to the hangar floor as arms or heads were sliced off.

The next thing Rohlan saw was a forty-seven-car tram hurdle through the air, impact through the other side of the hangar, and stop. Well, not really. The cars after the first seven were still moving and caught up with their forward fellows and smashed into them. But even before that, the tram leaned to the right, hitting the rear of the Sith forces. Mini bursts of flames erupted from random cars, sending the contents flying. And then, just as the tram began to fall to the ground, the sides of fifteen different modules broke open and out charged Phiran and at least a couple hundred of recently-freed Torrent commandos and shock troopers.

"Chaaarrrgggeee!" Rohlan screeched at the top of his lungs, clearing the barricade in one leap and nearly falling on the other side as a bolt too many struck the same area on his _beskar_ breastplate and shattered two of his ribs. It was a slug projectile, and caused a great deal of screeching and teeth gritting-as the bullet bounced off the back armor and stopped just below where his appendix had been until the age of eight-that no one heard thanks to the heavy bucket he wore, which contained an audio silence device that once sealed to his armor, allowed him to turn off all audio distractions or allow anyone to hear what he was saying. Ignoring the stream of blood trickling down his left leg, Rohlan raised his blaster rifle and ran forward.

Phiran hit the ground running and deflected blaster bolts back at the Sith line. "We're too exposed out here!" He barked. Rohlan and a team of Mandalorian supercommandos dashed forward, relying on their _beskar_ armor and gentle nudges in the Force from the Jedi Sages safe behind large chunks of ceiling on the hangar deck, to ensure their survival.

One commando's shoulder was exposed to prolonged blasterfire one moment too long, and his shoulder pad was blown away, several shards embedding themselves in his helmet. His armor automatically sealed the opening with synth-armor, which was basically a dark liquid that, once injected into the exposed area, would harden, heal the immediate damage to the skin, and form a semi-protective layer.

The moment they saw fourteen Mandos charging their ranks, ignoring blasterfire and when cannon rounds showered them with shrapnel, they just flipped off the Sith, the heavy troopers began pulling back, taking what they could and leaving the rest behind. Kicking off pieces of rubble, the supercommandos jetpacked up to the balcony and overtook them. Grunts and screams were audible over the din of battle as the Mandalorian warriors ripped apart the heavy troopers.

A Sith Inquisitor standing near the front was wound in grappling line, and reeled towards a Mandalorian in red-gold armor, who placed his hand around the Pureblood-Sith's neck and squeezed. The sounds of breaking bones were deafened by a turret blown to bits by a grenade launcher held by one of the Mandalorians.

Wiping his hands of Sith blood, Rohlan dropped the Inquisitor and doused the nearest man in flames, kicking him off the balcony and onto a spike below. Chuckling, he looked up to see a Sith Lord standing in front of him, lightsaber at the ready. "Oh shab…" He raised his gauntlet flamethrower, but the Sith Lord grabbed his arm and snapped it at the wrist before blasting him with Force lightning. The electrical surge overloaded his suit's systems and the momentary blindness was all it took for a cannon round to shatter his breastplate and the Sith to hurl him over the wall.

As darkness crept into his vision, he saw Sith troopers overrun their lines and Phiran ordering the survivors towards the dropships, and those who were cut off, like Phiran himself, towards the hangar access corridors. _Funny, I always thought dying in battle would be nice, but now I'm not feeling all proud and courageous_. The Sith Lord leaped over the wall and landed beside him, lightsaber raised for the kill. Rohlan's arm might have been shattered, but he could still operate the gears of the crushgaunts, and the blaster still clenched tightly in his hand. _Or maybe it's not my time…_As the lightsaber swooped down towards his chest, he raised his arm and fired...

* * *

Revan stabbed the Seeker through its head. The droid kept on coming. He sliced off one arm. It still advanced on him. He took out the legs. It used repulsorlifts to continue. "This is getting ridiculous…" He grumbled, finally crushing the droid and hurling it into the track overhead.

He locked blades with the second one, while using _Heart of the Guardian_ to bisect the third. After struggling a few moments, the Seeker leapt back and retracted its hands in exchange for blasters. Revan barely brought up his blades to deflect the bolts. Angling the lightsabers, he succeeded in directing the bolts back into the barrel of each hand gun, destroying the Seeker's arms. Bisecting it, he kicked it back, where it fell into the space between the two cars and was torn apart.

The other six, those that were flying alongside the tram, increased their speed, staying with Revan and then opening fire on him while two, one on each side, retracted their blasters and grabbed their staffs.

Revan Force-shoved the first off of the platform, but the second one didn't budge. Rather, its feet were magnetically tied to the permasteel. Its staff began crackling blue, and Revan caught the energy spheres on his lightsaber, before mentally magnifying the energy output by the tendrils a hundred times, and directing it back at the Seeker. The blue balls merged into a strange overly-big rope, and were absorbed by the Seeker's metal frame. The combat droid's processor couldn't predict this attack, and the energy overloaded the droid's processing matrix and blew it apart.

Revan chuckled as the other four Seekers drew back, until he felt the car shake and his magnetic footpads were knocked loose. The Behemoths below hadn't forgotten him. Revan watched as the car behind him broke loose and fell. The Behemoths were now going alongside the train, pummeling the cars from both sides.

Revan shot a grappling line at the next car, diving forward into a container. A few seconds later, two lines of bullet holes erupted behind him, and Revan scrambled to outrun the plasma shots, diving out of the container and leaping up to the top of the next car.

Ten Seekers, the original six and one from each Behemoth, leapt up. Revan kicked the first one off before it could secure itself, and the droid was crushed in-between the tram and a support column.

The remaining nine opened fire on Revan while moving forward. Revan blocked the first few bolts before ripping open a section of floor in front of him, the metal peeling back and providing a barrier. The moment he heard the sound of their blasters overheating and recharging, he sprang forward, two pistols in each hand, firing wildly at the closest four. As was expected, the first few that hit their torsos were absorbed by the armor, but a few lucky shots destroyed the wrist blasters on two of them, and Revan focused his fire on them, finally punching through the armor and blasting them off the car.

The car behind them buckled and fell, as two missiles destroyed its support structure. The Seekers dropped back, leaping off the car and landing on the Behemoths, resuming their fire from the weapon platforms. Revan blocked the first few shots, but when the droids began to bear rocket launchers and RPGs, he found himself dodging the projectiles and fighting just to keep the tram from blowing up, never mind himself...

* * *

Thanks for reading! Next chapter out by May 2013.


	38. Chapter 38: Apprentice Showdown

Hi guys, sorry about taking so long to update. Probably shouldn't promise any deadlines in the future...anyway, yes this chapter may seem a bit overplayed, but I wanted (read at end after reading chapter)

* * *

Staasi winced as the _Avenger_ took two direct Sith fighter suicide hits to its bow. Sith boarding parties were being held back, but the cost was too great.

"Have the _Aventine_ and _Valiance_ move to block these Sith cruisers…" He ordered. The _Aventine_ turned to its side and began unleashing a full port salvo on the Sith cruiser _Nightscream_. The ship's side buckled and ripped open, spilling bodies and debris as it exploded in one fiery ball of flames. Missiles streaked from two Sith frigates, pummeling the _Aventine_'s armor. A few punched through and atmosphere began venting on the lower hull.

_Kestrel_, a Sith _Omnipotence_-class Star Destroyer, hammered the crippled Torrent vessel until the fiery blue-purple sphere around the vessel flickered and disappeared, indicating the shields were down. A few more turbolaser blasts later, and the cruiser was blown apart.

The _Valiance_ began firing highly-charged anti-proton beams at _Kestrel_. Streaks of blue appeared and disappeared in seconds as the beams punched through the shields and scored long scorch marks all over the hull. Shatterpoint weaponfire soon followed.

The Mandalorian vessels and their _beskar_ armor were faring better than the rest of the fleet. The lead one, with a wicked-looking ram that ran two miles in length and a quarter mile in diameter, slammed into a cruiser, tearing the bridge apart before opening fire with its lower cannons, blasting the engine pods into pieces. Another one just simply battered its way _through_ a Sith corvette, hitting the side head-on and plowing through the vessel, emerging with only paint scratches on its hull.

The _Predator_ fired its main cannon again. The crippled _Veritas_ shuddered and broke apart. The _Valiance_ was the next target, the composite beam overloading its shields with such force that the ship disintegrated.

Staasi breathed a sigh of relief as Red Squadron scored a direct hit on the Sith flagship's power nodes, ensuring them at least an hour of breathing space before the _Predator_ could fire that ship-killer again.

"Sir, we're getting a tight-beam transmission from Geezer." A technician said "It's coming through now." Staasi turned to the holo-map of the battle, above which a hologram of Phiran and two Torrent marines crouching behind what appeared to be a wing of a Sith fighter appeared.

"I take it Boxer didn't go as well as we thought?" Staasi asked.

"_It hasn't failed yet, if that's what you mean." _Phiran countered. He fired two shots over their cover.

"_Revan split up from me. Last I heard, he's headed for aft damage control. Going to try and do some damage before heading for the fire control station of the main cannon_."

"What are you doing?"

"_I have a squad of marines with me. We're fighting our way to rendezvous with him at the fire control station. From there, we're going to set charges on the vessel's secondary reactor-possibly cripple that cannon for good, if not for the remainder of the battle. Might even cripple the _Predator._ Turns out that our original idea wouldn't have worked; the Predator's reactor is protected by a grid of energy shields. Even if our two baradium warheads had gone off in there, the damage that they would have done would be minimal. We'd have to take out the entire shield, and that's something we can't do._"

"And our forces already on the ship?"

"_Rohlan was critically injured during our taking of the hangars, but he's insisting on staying. Colin Cel-Drem and his knights are all in a pretty bad shape. Those who haven't been evacuated are with me_." Phiran said. He sighed regretfully "_We lost a lot of good men securing those sections. Shame we have to blow the whole damn thing up_."

"Their sacrifice will be worth it if we can take out the _Predator_." Staasi said gently. He stumbled as the ship rocked again. A message text popped up in front of him "Your battle-injured have just landed in Hangar 7. I can't guarantee their safety; Sith troops have boarded the _Avenger_."

"_You do your duty, I'll do mine_." Phiran said, and cut the transmission. Staasi sighed again. He was just about to bark an order when the doors to the bridge burst open and Sith troopers began pouring in.

"Intruders on the bridge!" One of the bridge guards turned to fire at the Imperials, but a Sith Assassin decloaked behind him and cut him in two head to groin. Staasi fired, taking down the Sith, but the Imperial troopers had already gotten a fix on him.

"Sir!" Staasi was thrown to the deck by a young Togruta ensign, who took the barrage meant for him. His body slumped to the floor, head montrails smoking and destroyed. Rage overtook Staasi and he grabbed the ensign's blaster and began pouring blasterfire back at the Imperials. He cut down three, but more were on the way. Eventually, a Torrent marine grabbed him and they both dive behind a console as the Imperials pushed forward.

* * *

Revan breathed a sigh of relief as the tram left the corridor and entered its own tunnel, giving him a respite from the Behemoths…that was until he noticed the cars incoming from a run-off track. On them were the Behemoths, and in addition to the remaining Seekers, Darth Acheron and two legions of Sith troopers and Sith acolytes. Several armored Sith of a class he didn't recognize were also flanking her.

"Revan, give up now and…" Revan blasted the group with lightning. The Behemoths opened fire, and the tram Revan was on exploded. He leaped into the air and flung out a palm, sending all Sith troopers on the flatbed cars swinging into the side of the track, causing sparks to fly. The others managed to hang on.

Landing, Revan swung at Acheron, who Force-leaped back onto a Behemoth. He bisected two of her Sith acolytes before knocking one Behemoth into another with a Force-imbued kick. Both fell off the train and were crushed on the tracks.

The Seekers swarmed in, but Revan leaped up to join Acheron. Because of their close proximity, the Behemoth did not open fire. The seven combat droids swung at Revan, who melted two to the deck with _Heart of the Guardian_ before grabbing one of their staff and resuming his duel with Acheron, _Mantle of the Force_ in one hand and the staff in the other.

The Sith troopers on the ground opened fire. Revan deflected a few of their shots, but allowed the rest to create a deadly hail that destroyed all but two of the Seekers, the ones he had pinned down.

Acheron swung at him, cleaving the staff, but Revan dashed the half he still held into the synth-flesh covering the electronics on her arm. Arcs of energy sprung up and crackled over her as she let out an ear-piercing scream; grimacing, she retreated behind her minions, the staff still impaled in her forearm.

Grabbing _Heart of the Guardian_ again, Revan performed a _sai tok_ on the next acolyte before scissoring open the waist of the next one. Two of the last few Sith, saber-staff wielding brutes, charged him. Revan grinned and parried their simultaneous strikes before using the locked blades to slam them into each other and Force-hurl them off the tram.

The remaining Sith troopers resumed fire, but Revan deflected them back or batted them at Acheron. Roaring, she charged him again. They locked blades and resumed their duel.

Revan's comlink crackled to life. "_Revan, this is Phiran!_"

Revan ducked a swing from Acheron. "I'm a bit busy at the moment!" He snapped into his earpiece before ripping one of the Seekers from the deck and onto Acheron's blade.

"_We're coming towards you in a stolen shuttle_." Revan parried a blow from Acheron before pressing his attack, showering her with a flurry of lightning-fast strikes.

"Repeat?!"

"_I said, we're coming towards you-…fierfek. Fire support is incoming. I suggest you move!_"

Revan glanced towards the tram's front. A small shuttle was racing towards them from the opposite direction of the tunnel. Revan recognized the model; it was an old G-47 Hover-type Condor, used mainly for in-atmo security, for example, on Coruscant. There were two gun pods featuring twin blasters each hanging on either side of the cockpit, and a pair of directed-energy beam weapons underneath its raised wings. A single rocket launcher turret sat above the cockpit. Revan guessed, and he was correct when it drew closer and he could see the faded Republic emblem, that it had been from the _Hope_.

The shuttle opened fire, lancing the tram with its beam weapons, cutting swaths through people and car alike. The armored Sith troopers screamed as they were incinerated or blasted away. The remaining Behemoths and Seekers began firing at the shuttle, but a few blasts from its rocket launcher and beam turrets later, and they were reduced to smoldering wrecks.

"Must you leave?" Acheron sneered, as her three remaining Sith Acolytes raised their blades. Several more Sith jumped on the car as they passed a station. "We're just getting started…you know I like to get physical…"

"Rain check?" Revan asked, Force-leaping off the car and onto the extended boarding ramp of the shuttle. Acheron shrieked and pointed at the shuttle.

"_Stop him_-!"

Phiran appeared beside Revan with an automatic blaster rifle in hand. He let loose, and Acheron took a hail of bolts before the other Sith stepped in to block them. Most of the shots had hit her mechanical arm, but three had found her torso- two in the right shoulder, and one that clipped her side.

"That was for Jolee!" Phiran snarled, firing another bolt into her heel for good measure before cutting down the Sith acolytes with lethal accuracy. Acheron, screaming in pain, was forced to watch as Revan disappeared into the shuttle. She lay on the car bed, cursing at Revan and Phiran.

Phiran stopped his attack and retreated back into the shuttle with Revan. The sound of blasterbolts ricocheting off the hull was overwhelming. "Go!" He roared. The shuttle peeled off from the tram and disappeared down a side tunnel.

"I assume you got the explosive device?" Revan asked.

"Seeing as you didn't do your end, I decided I might as well do your chores, plus a little extra."

Phiran grinned and indicated a maroon-colored two-meter-big-in-any-dimension cubic exoskeleton sitting in the cargo compartment. Several bandoleers of plasma grenades encircled it, all wired to a control device welded to one side. In the center of the exoskeleton was a large golden sphere. Revan wasn't sure exactly what it was. Strapped to four sides of the exoskeleton were four large power cells; the capacitor banks that had held them rested on the floor at the rear of the compartment.

"What's the situation outside?" Revan asked, examining the make-shift bomb. With the additional power of the power cells and grenades, this would not only destroy the Main Reactor, but quite possibly punch a hole through the ship's outer hull.

"Not good. Our main force attacking this ship had to retreat. The Sith are pummeling the fleet. Groundside is even worse; our men have entered Kaas City, but they're being assaulted on all sides by Behemoths and Devastators…Se-ril was killed by one, and Sorran barely made it out."

A brief expression of grief crossed Revan's face before it was replaced with one of anger. "Any other casualties?"

"Colin Cel-Drem was gravely injured, along with Rohlan Dyre, while attempting to secure the hangar bays. Both are currently in surgery onboard the _Avenger_. They were among the last to land safely before the _Avenger_ was boarded."

"At least they're alive." Revan accessed his datapad and began researching explosive devices. "That isn't a warhead, is it?"

"No…" Phiran acknowledged "It's a Type-IV baradium fusion-bomb."

Revan winced. Those devices could produce an explosive force comparable to 4.3 million tons of thermal detonite. A single fusion bomb could create devastation equivalent to the Mandalorian nuclear bombardment of Serocco twice over. "The Sith Empire has access to these?"

"No, thank the stars. The Emperor wouldn't want these used in combat. The Empire still needs subjects to rule, not barren planets. They're a last-resort type of weapon. As a result, the Empire currently only has one fully operational. This one." He patted the cube.

"A Type-4 device like that could wipe out anything within a 500 kilometer radius." Revan said, reading the device's description on his datapad. "Wait…combined with the destruction of the Predator's reactor…Phiran, this will destroy every single vessel currently in orbit above Kaas City. _Every_ vessel."

Phiran nodded gravely. "Better to set the Sith back a couple centuries than have them attack the Republic now. You know as well as I do that we can't defeat the Sith completely. They always manage to survive in some scum hole or another. Right now, Matthews is leading a battalion of special ops troops with the aim of taking the bridge. Mekel and Thalia with him. Gadon Thek, Zaedra, and the surviving Hidden Beks are mounting an assault on deflector shield command. Zayne Carrick, Jarael, and a hundred assorted Mandalorian supercommandos, Jedi, and shock troopers are trying to take control of that superlaser's fire control station. All of them have no illusions on their chances of surviving this mission. But giving your friends in the Republic a better fighting chance is better than nothing." Revan clasped Phiran's hands in friendship.

"What do we do?"

* * *

There was a large atrium on the observation level of the prison where Revan had rescued his friends. Three stories tall, it had large curved glass walls that gave a very nice view of Kaas City on a clear day, along with caf dispensers and a bakery to provide refreshments to go with that view.

Of course, the current view would have caused more alarm than relaxation. The atrium was trashed, with bodies and furniture tossed all over the place. Torrent marines and Sith forces had fought a quick but bloody skirmish here, with neither side gaining any foothold and both abandoning it once the Sithspawn found their way up here. The Sith's attempt to wipe out Torrent forces by unleashing Sithspawn had backfired. Their own creations were running amok throughout the battlefield, and while they would be eventually hunted down by the victor, currently, neither side had the forces to divert to exterminating them.

A few rakghouls remained up here, munching on the bodies of the fallen. Darth Feran ignored them when he ran up here, eyes wide with terror as he fled the destructive force of nature known as Dustil Onasi. That wasn't an understatement. Dustil had completely leveled two floors during his chase of Feran, and slaughtered more than fifty of the finest Sith warriors, and Feran was pretty sure that Dustil was levitating at least four lightsabers by now, in addition to the two in his hands. He slammed the door to the stairwell shut and leaned over, panting and sweating heavily. Maybe Dustil had lost him, or had been killed…

His answer came when five lightsabers impaled the door from which he had come and began cutting it apart slowly and methodically. There was a low chuckle from behind him. Feran gulped and turned around to see Darth Lethe standing in a far corner, surrounded by dozens of dead rakghouls, Sith warriors, and Torrent marines. Her eyes glowed yellow and she was panting heavily. Several dozen Sith Marauders stood behind her, all bearing double-bladed or dual lightsabers. Behind them were a score of Acheron's newest Sith warrior; Sith Shadow Guards. Wielding impressive lightsaber pikes and shoulder-mounted arc projectors, the cloaked armored figures cast sinister shadows on the wall, and even more disturbing impressions in the Force.

"You coward" She sneered, walking over to him, lightsaber in hand and activated "That man coming after you is five times the warrior that you are. You run when you should stand and fight." With a groan, the thick durasteel door collapsed in a pile of glowing metal chunks. A cloud of dust kicked up.

"You should really listen to her, Feran." Dustil stepped out of the haze and advanced forward, all five lightsabers floating above him and the two lightsabers in hand dragging against the ground, leaving furrows in the metal floor. "She knows that more than most." Lethe and Dustil shared a glance, conveying unspoken words of regret and impressions that each one was stronger than the other in combat. Feran snarled and unconsciously took a step backwards.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Feran snapped at the Sith Marauders "Attack!" They hesitated, before Lethe gave an almost imperceptible nod and they charged Dustil.

The Jedi Guardian dropped in the opening stance of the Jar'Kai version of the 7th Lightsaber Form Juyo, the most aggressive of them all. The five hovering lightsabers began to spin on their vertical axis, until they became wheels of light. Then they sped towards the Sith, like energized buzzsaws. Several Sith were sliced apart before they could raise their blades, the lightsabers were moving that fast. Several of the more experienced Marauders managed to bring up their blades and deflect the thrown lightsabers, sending them flying into the air. The energy swords smashed into the ceiling, deactivated, and then fell to the floor.

Dustil was already moving before the first lightsaber hit the ground. He Force-shoved a charging Sith onto the blade of his comrade and Force-leaped into the air, hurling his scavenged dual red lightsaber at Feran before stabbing another Marauder through the chest.

Feran cried out and dived aside as the blade hurdled towards him. The Shadow Guard behind him reached out and grabbed the blade _with his bare hands_. The red beam flickered and shut off, the hilt falling to the floor. Dustil made a note of that; these new guys had cortosis gauntlets.

Dustil brought up his blade and slashed another Sith across the chest. Despite his outward appearance, Dustil was tired. He had used up most of his energy fighting to reach Feran, and the amount of energy needed to perform Juyo, not even his preferred fighting style, was taking its toll on him.

Lethe saw this and motioned for her Shadow Guards to move forward. Dustil saw them march towards him, lightsaber pikes activated. He needed to clear some space. Leaping into the air, Dustil came down with his palm outstretched; giving everything he had into one powerful Force-repulse.

The Sith Marauders surrounding him were thrown back by the shockwave. Dustil managed to take a few of them down before Force-leaping back into the center of the circle he had cleared. The Shadow Guards and remaining Marauders formed around him.

Feran allowed himself a smile. "Well Onasi, surrender and I will grant you a quick death. Or by all means, continue fighting. Your worthless sacrifice will continue to draw Revan back to the dark side, and back to us."

"Big talk from someone pleading for his life not too long ago!" Dustil snapped "Why don't you let the guards go and you and I go, one on one?"

"Ah yes, well, that's exactly why I have 'the guards'. No, I think I prefer it this way. But please, attack if you feel like it."

Dustil growled, but didn't take the bait. He knew that despite his efforts, any attempt to reach Feran would be futile. There were simply too many Sith. He lowered his gaze to the ground in defeat.

It was at that moment that Dustil saw what none of the other Sith did; a red dot on the floor directly in front of him. Careful not to draw any suspicion, Dustil gazed around, as if looking for an escape route. His wandering eyes found the glass ceiling…and saw the red dot's origin; a tracking light from a heavy rifle, wielded by a familiar droid; and that droid was standing directly above where the lightsabers he had thrown had grazed the ceiling. Cracks were appearing in the glass, and the metal frame had been compromised. It was only a matter of seconds before the ceiling gave way.

Dustil returned his gaze to Feran and then turned his attention to Lethe. He knew that whatever happened, only one of them would walk out of here. Lethe raised her hand and the Sith prepared to charge. Silently, he telepathically sent a message to Lethe.

_ I loved you._

Her startled reaction and faltering hand gave him all the time he needed. He grinned at Feran. Now it dawned on Acheron's apprentice that something wasn't right. By then, it was too late. The red dot split into four, traveling upwards until each reached its destination.

With a loud crash, four rifles fired through the ceiling. Four of the Shadow Guards went down, mag-pelts having punched through their helmets and exploding in their brains. The Sith ranks erupted in chaos as the Marauders panicked, trying to locate the snipers while some tried to shove the Shadow Guards aside in attempts to escape.

With a synthesized roar, Opila, Rubat, Adegan, and Phond dropped through the ceiling, firing as they fell. Several more Sith fell as the Shard emptied their clips. They hit the floor and tossed the rifles aside, before drawing their lightsabers and charging the Sith. Phond was the one exception, tossing his lightsaber to Rubat and picking up two of the four rifles and dropping Sith with shots to the head.

In that moment as the Shard rained fire down from the ceiling, Dustil sprang. As Opila and Rubat cleaved through the Shadow Guards standing between him and Feran and Lethe, Dustil Force-leaped over their heads and brought his lightsaber up to strike Feran down.

Feran backed up, but Dustil succeeded in destroying his lightsaber. Feran Force-called a fallen Sith's double-bladed lightsaber to his hand while Selene activated her own blade and charged at Dustil.

Dustil parried Lethe's strike before grabbing his secondary blade with his free hand and using both sabers to beat at Feran's double-bladed lightsaber. Feran Force-flipped backwards to gain some ground while Lethe attacked Dustil with a flurry of lightning-fast lightsaber blows that knocked him off balance.

Had this been five years prior, neither would have had a distinct advantage since they would have known each other's moves. Lethe made the mistake of keeping to her distinct variation of Soresu; adhering to the strong defensive position, but with a twist of Djem So added in. This allowed her to outlive her opponent while still able to get in a strike here and there.

Throughout his entire life, Dustil strived to be better than he was. Years apart from him caused Lethe to forget that aspect of Dustil that she so enjoyed. When she had been his lover, Dustil was studying Ataru, using its single-opponent intent to beat other prospective Sith students at the Academy. But years of training under Revan had opened up new possibilities for Dustil. He had shifted to the more graceful Niman as his primary style, with hints of Juyo and remnants of Ataru added in.

"Selene!" Dustil snapped. Lethe ignored him and made to slice off his arm. Dustil blocked the blow.

"I know my name stirs the love you still have for me!" Dustil pleaded, blocking the blow and slicing off a spike on her armor.

"No it doesn't!" Lethe snapped, though it sounded like she was convincing herself more than him. Dustil hoped that was the case and pressed forward with his attack. It might have been his imagination, but her eyes flickered, changing back to normal for a second before she shook her head and they returned to their glowing yellow with red irises.

"It's either you accept that or die!" Dustil said again.

"I'll make sure to take you with me!" Lethe snarled, blocking his strike. Dustil roared in frustration and began hacking at her again with renewed fury.

"Just stop it!" Dustil pleaded.

Lethe allowed Dustil to beat her back with his dual blades before bringing her lightsaber low, in a strike meant to sever his Achilles tendons. In the past, Dustil would have tried to block her blade with an underhand swing. Now, he allowed her to come within mere inches of his ankle before suddenly jumping into the air and slamming his lightsaber hilts into her head. Lethe gave a whimper and hit the floor in a daze.

Dustil landed and gazed at her fallen form for a second before the Force sent him a warning. Turning around and glancing up, Dustil saw Feran several dozen feet above him, in the middle of an impressive combat leap, lightsaber ready to execute a downward slash. Dustil brought up his lightsabers in a cross and blocked the strike, but the force of Feran's attack knocked him off balance. Feran dashed forward, striking both of Dustil's lightsabers repeatedly until finally he knocked the viridian blade from Dustil's hands. Dustil snarled and switched back to one-handed combat; this time, _he_ struck Feran's blades repeatedly, forcing Feran back. Dustil's offensive meant that Feran had to be careful not to let Dustil's strikes on one blade cause the other to hit him, and the attention diverted to this meant that he couldn't mount his own offensive.

[Dustil, watch out!] Opila's warning cry saved Dustil's life. He ducked, and Lethe's strike that would have decapitated him missed, but still managed to burn off part of his scalp. Gritting his teeth, Dustil turned around, ignoring the pain. The Sith Lady had picked up Dustil's dropped secondary blade. Seizing the advantage, Feran reversed direction, and beat Dustil back towards Lethe. Trapped between the two Sith, Dustil found himself being shoved into a corner.

Meanwhile, the four Shard were combatting Darth Lethe's forces. Phond had taken the roof of the bakery and was using it as a sniper position. Rubat was dueling with both his white single-bladed lightsaber and Phond's maroon double-bladed lightsaber.

Opila was in his element, all four lightsabers; two regulars and two shotos, drawn and rotating like buzz saws, slicing open the Sith Marauders. Adegan was using her blue lightsaber and javelin launcher in tandem against a Shadow Guard. Her first strike had rewarded her with a hit to the man's gauntlets, shorting out her lightsaber for a few minutes. Now she was using the loaded launcher as a dagger, deflecting the Shadow Guard's gauntlet strikes before getting her other wrist under the man's unarmored chin and re-activating her now-working lightsaber. The Sith gurgled before falling to the floor, a smoking hole in his head.

Dustil blocked Feran's strike, but Lethe's jabbed in and caught him on the shoulder; a light cut, but still enough to cause him to grimace. She hesitated, seemingly shocked by the attack on her former lover. A flicker of hope rose in Dustil.

"Don't fight it."

If his plea had gotten through, it didn't show because she went after him again.

Rubat shot out his leg, grabbing a Sith by the neck in the armored foot-claws, and snapping her neck. He parried another Sith's attack, and glanced over at Dustil. The young Jedi, who had been toying with Feran not too long ago, was now fighting for his life. With little room to maneuver, Dustil was having trouble defending against his opponents' combined onslaught. It wouldn't be long before he was cut down. Unless…

[Dustil!] Dustil glanced over to see a long silver cylinder flying over the combatants towards him, and Rubat now fighting with only the white lightsaber. Dustil allowed himself a small chuckle before Force-leaping into the air and grabbing it with his left hand. The two maroon blades of the saberstaff shot out, and Dustil used them to block both Feran and Lethe's strikes simultaneously. He swung under their legs with his other blade, burning a deep line through Feran's left thigh and finished with an upper sweep across Lethe. Before either could react, Dustil hurled them back with a powerful Force-wave.

Feran leapt back up, but Lethe remained on the ground, cradling the stump at her elbow where Dustil had sliced off her arm. She still had Dustil's other lightsaber in her remaining hand, but her red Sith lightsaber lay clutched in her amputated forearm. A red line of burnt flesh had been cut through her stomach by Dustil, not enough to kill her, but enough to incapacitate her.

Feran, feeding off the pain in his leg, grabbed Lethe's severed arm rather unceremoniously and ripped her fingers apart to retrieve the lightsaber. Moving slightly unsteadily, he advanced on Dustil. Dustil, feeling re-energized by his regained tactical advantage, dashed forward. Feran was unprepared for this sudden offensive, and Dustil managed another strike to Feran's thigh, cutting deeper into the flesh this time and slicing muscle. They exchanged a series of strikes and flurries, but with Feran's thigh injury hampering him, he couldn't keep up with the angry young Jedi. Dustil caught Feran's next blow on one end of the saberstaff, twirling it and deactivating one end to make it easier for him to maneuver.

Feran faltered as the foot of his injured leg hit a piece of rubble, causing him to stumble. Dustil thrust forward, catching the Sith Apprentice on the right shoulder, before slicing off one end of Feran's saberstaff and hitting it again, destroying the hilt and burning off two of Feran's fingers. Feran's eyes widened in pain and fear, and he began to back away. Dustil approached him slowly, making no effort to finish his arch-nemesis quickly. Feran hurled a piece of rubble at Dustil; the Jedi sliced through it. Several bodies followed; Dustil either Force-pushed them aside or sliced them apart.

Feran found himself up against the glass wall; he shattered it with his lightsaber. The two duelists emerged in the drenching downpour, with lightning and explosions lighting up the darkened sky. Several Sith and Torrent fighters flew past them.

"Dustil please…" Feran blubbered, slipping on the wet surface and almost stumbling. The farther out they went, the more downward-sloped the building became. "I-I'll do anything. What do you want? Information on Imperial fleet movements? Locations of our shipyards? Capital ship schematics? Acheron's personal command codes? Tell me, and I'll make it happen." Dustil stopped short, as if pondering. Feran let out a small sigh of relief, and began to search for a way out of his situation. Slowly, he reached behind him. Careful not to alert Dustil, he reached into a back pouch on his belt and removed a poison dart.

"Well, tell me what do you want?" Feran asked, mentally grinning as he slid the dart into his gauntlet launcher. Outwardly, he pretended to back up. Dustil's face, set in grim determination, transformed into a pure look of loathing and fury.

"I want you to die!" Dustil snarled, leaping towards the Sith, lightsabers ready to strike. The Force augmented his speed, and he began a corkscrew spin, slicing through the air and speeding towards Feran.

"You first!" Feran raised his gauntlet and fired, using the Force to accelerate it towards Dustil. Time seemed to slow down as Dustil saw the barbed projectile fly towards him. He tried nudging it with the Force, but Feran's grip was stronger than his.

Suddenly, the dart swerved to the side and shot past Dustil. Feran's eyes widened before he snarled and concentrated as the dart continued accelerating behind Dustil. There was a grunt behind him as it hit flesh, but Dustil was focused on Feran only. Still focused on the dart, Feran had no time to dodge as Dustil landed mere inches from him and lashed out with his lightsabers. Both blades swung in a scissor move, carving deep slashes into Feran's rib-cage, almost bisecting him. The Sith Apprentice stumbled backwards, shocked, and Dustil brought the lightsabers forward and up, impaling Feran through the chest.

For a few seconds, they stayed there, Feran staring at Dustil and gurgling, unable to speak, his lightsaber falling from his grasp and tumbling away down the sloped roof. Dustil stared at the Sith grimly and then deactivated his blades. Feran stumbled, trying to remain upright. Dustil snorted and clipped his lightsabers to his belt.

"No…you."

Gathering a ball of crackling energy in his hands, Dustil stepped forward and Force-hurled the still-gasping Feran out into open space. His voice found at last, Feran let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell towards the ground many thousands of feet below.

"_Sick barve_…" Dustil turned around. Lethe was leaning against the broken window frame, her hand cut from the glass, but not moving away from them. The stump of her other arm was folded across her chest. Dustil's viridian blade lay on the ground next to her.

"Only…cowards…like him…would try…poison…as a-" Lethe stumbled forward and hit the ground, falling face-first into the broken glass. Dustil ran forward and gently lifted her head. Glass shards had embedded themselves in her face, but she seemed to not feel the pain.

"Selene…" Dustil reached down and felt the dart sticking out from her chest. She had been the one who shifted the dart, saving him, but Feran had simply redirected the flight path of the poison dart to her.

Lethe, no, Selene, reached up to brush a few strands of hair from his face. "You always…believed the best…about…about…" She struggled as the poison spread through her bloodstream. Her eyes were normal now, their original vibrant green.

Tears began to stream down Dustil's face. He cradled her head and pulled the now empty dart out of her, its venom already coursing through her veins. "You always were the foolhardy one." He tried to joke. "Never could make up your mind over whom to place your bet on." Selene just smiled faintly and coughed.

"I…don't deserve…your pity." She cringed and clenched her fist in pain "I-I…" Her body shook in one last tremor of pain, and she went silent. Her face relaxed, as she was finally released from the dark abyss that her life had become. Tears streaming down his bloodied face, Dustil held her close.

"I pray that you're in a place far better than this blood-stained battlefield."

* * *

The four Shard Jedi, having dispatched their enemies, watched silently as Selene's body slowly faded away in Dustil's arms, leaving behind her empty robes. Though her life had taken a dark turn, she had found the light at last.

The command tower on the _Avenger_ was in flames. Two _Lancer_-class corvettes were floating around the tower, bombarding it with turbolaser fire. The defense turrets surrounding the tower were returning fire, and swarms of Recluse and Aurek fighters were blowing bits off the corvettes.

Inside, the situation couldn't have been more dire. Commander A'ashk lay on the ground, his left forearm a few meters away; the result of an encounter with a Sith assassin. Captain Ruun was tending to him the best that he could. The Semakhi Mer-sil and Le-bin were using their Force powers to tear chairs and bodies and hurl them at the Imperial troopers occupying the rear of the bridge.

Staasi fired at the Imperial troopers crouched on either side of the bridge entrance, taking one down before his hold-out pistol beeped and shut down, letting out a hiss of gas. Empty. Cursing, Staasi tossed it aside and dashed out from his hiding spot, grabbing a fallen Torrent marine's carbine and diving behind a holo projector. He took a shot through the shoulder on his way down. A marine next to him began applying a med-pack to it. Staasi winced as the kolto patch touched his burnt skin.

Suddenly, his comlink crackled to life. [Admiral, this is Diamond Strike Team. We've disabled Imperial communications in Sectors A through F, and taken out ground turbolaser emplacements surrounding Military Command. We are en route back to the _Avenger_ with Dustil Onasi and Beta Company, along with Sorran Markez B'wuatu. ETA three minutes]

Staasi cursed. Didn't they know that the _Avenger_ was a battleground itself? He hastily pressed the talk button. "Opila, the _Avenger_ is currently under heavy fire from Imperial vessels, and we have Imperial troopers and Sith running amok through her corridors, not to mention attempting to take the bridge."

[Copy that. Rerouting the shuttle to medical frigate _High Expectations_. Expect reinforcements within twenty seconds.] Staasi frowned, until he glanced out one of the bridge viewports and saw four shapes launch from the missile tubes of an assault shuttle, followed by five more.

"Shit, all hands prepare for hull breach!" Everyone on the bridge either strapped themselves into seats, magnetized their boots, or grabbed onto the nearest thing bolted to the deck.

Smashing through the top viewport, eight metal objects and one human shot onto the bridge. Their inertia propelled them straight into the Sith lines, where the metal objects unfolded and all of them drew lightsabers of various shapes and colors with a chorus of _snap-hisses_.

Two of the Sith warriors in the boarding party were sucked out of the gaping hole in the bridge before emergency bulkheads sealed it. The rest of the Imperials were disoriented enough that they were unable to prevent the Jedi from hacking them to pieces. As the last Imperial fell to the ground in six separate parts, Opila did an about face and saluted Staasi.

[Jedi Knight Dustil Onasi and Shard Jedi Opila, Rubat, Phond, Jenruax, Sigil, Adegan, Eralam, and Sapith reporting in, sir!]

"Glad to see you, made it, Jedi Onasi." Staasi chuckled, standing up and taking a visual sweep of his bridge. Five officers lay dead, and several more were too wounded to continue working. The bridge itself was still operational, but that was about it.

[Sir, what is the status of Revan?] Opila asked, bending down and using his host medical droid's functions to tend to A'ashk. [The cut was straight and clean. We may be able to reattach the limb.] A'ashk nodded before grimacing in pain. Two medics put his arm on ice before pushing A'ashk out on a hoverstretcher to the med bay, accompanied by three marines.

"Last we heard, Revan was en route to the _Predator_'s Main Reactor." Staasi grunted, digging a piece of shrapnel out of his palm. "Leave it." He grunted to the medic who ran forward to bandage it "Focus on the major injuries."

[Sir, permission to take a team of Shard aboard the vessel and assist him?] Opila asked.

"That would not be wise." Mer-sil warned "Even if you managed to reach our staging ground over there, there are still over a thousand Sith and god knows how many Imperial troopers and battle droids between you and the boarding party."

[Noted.]

Opila activated his comlink [Juhani…yes, we need your ship…no, it probably won't be coming back to you…yes…very well…no, I'm sure that you'll get another ship…no, the _Renegade_ isn't an option…this is serious…yes…very well.] He switched to another channel. [Aurek and Besh, prepare the _Glory of Cathar_ to receive visitors.] He turned to the assembled admiralty [Gentlemen and Ladies, I take my leave of you.] Opila then turned to his Shard. [Adegan, Sigil, Rubat, Phond; you're with me. Eralam, Sapith, and Jenruax; guard the bridge.] He turned to Dustil. The young Jedi shook his head. With the beating he had sustained during his fight with Feran and Lethe, he wouldn't survive what Opila had in mind as a boarding option.

"May you succeed." Staasi said. He saluted the five Shard "Do me a favor and cause as much havoc as you can over there." Opila nodded and then marched off the bridge with his four Jedi.

* * *

...Selene to have a happy ending, because I recently replayed both KOTOR games, and felt, that from the brief mention of her, that she was pretty much a 'light Sith' (reference to dark jedi) or possibly even had a little jedi inside of her.

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